Naomi Osaka Reaches Montreal Semifinals, Secures US Open Seed

Naomi Osaka has advanced to the semi-finals of the National Bank Open in Montreal after a commanding 6-2, 6-2 victory over Elina Svitolina, marking her best performance in a WTA 1000 tournament since 2022. The 27-year-old, a four-time Grand Slam champion and two-time US Open winner, has been on a comeback trail following a 15-month hiatus during which she had her daughter in July 2023. Under new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, Osaka is enjoying her tennis again, breaking serve five times and winning 83% of her first-serve points in this match, improving her live WTA ranking to No. 29 and securing a seed at the upcoming US Open. She will face 22-year-old Clara Tauson, who recently dedicated her win over Madison Keys to her late grandfather and has been performing strongly, including beating Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek. Additionally, Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko made a breakthrough by reaching her first National Bank Open semi-final, rising into the WTA top 50 after starting the year outside the top 300. The tournament also features an all-American men's semi-final between Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, the first in 15 years at an ATP Masters 1000 event.