Archive of posts tagged Clara Tauson

Cincinnati: Iga Swiatek wins opener e makes admission about early Montreal loss

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Baltic sea

Iga Swiatek is off to a strong start to her Cincinnati campaign after ousting world No. 44 Anastasija Potapova 6-1 6-4.

The Pole, who is seeded at No. 3 at the American WTA 1000 tournament, dominated the start of the match after claiming two breaks and not facing a single break point on her serve.

After easily winning the first set, Swiatek also claimed the first break of the second set. Down by a set and a break, Potapova refused to quit and managed to get the break back in the fourth game. However, the six-time Grand Slam champion didn't panic as she earned herself another break in the seventh game and then held on to her serve for the rest of the match to complete a straight-set win.

For Swiatek, this was her first match since stunningly losing to Clara Tauson in the Montreal third round. In her next Cincinnati match, the world No. 3 plays against No. 25 seed Marta Kostyuk.

Swiatek's honest admission about an early Montreal defeat

After winning seven matches at Wimbledon to become a champion at The All England Club, the Pole also triumphed in her opening two Montreal matches before Tauson ended her nine-match winning streak by handing her a 7-6 (1) 6-3 defeat. In Cincinnati, the 24-year-old admitted that she relaxed more than she should have following her Wimbledon win.

“Winning Wimbledon is a thing that is going to be with you the rest of your life. I let myself be happy a little bit longer, maybe that’s why I wasn’t so sharp in [Montreal],” Swiatek admitted in her pre-tournament presser in Cincinnati.

After Wimbledon, the Polish tennis giant relaxed by going to the Baltic sea.

“I was on a boat, I slept there and everything. I could see the shore and every big city that we have there from the water point of view. My friends were there. It was all super fun and I loved it," Swiatek said.

Victorious Victoria! 18-Year-Old Mboko Stuns Rybakina to Reach Montreal Final

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By Chris Oddo | Wednesday August 6, 2025

Grand Slam champions keep stepping up to face teen sensation Victoria Mboko in Montreal, and the kid keeps knocking them down.

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For the third time in six matches at the Omnium Banque Nationale, Mboko defeated a former major champion, as she advanced to her maiden WTA final with a 1-6 7-5 7-6(4) victory over Elena Rybakina.

“It was an incredible match,” Mboko, who has also defeated Sofia Kenin and Coco Gauff on her way to the final, told the Montreal crowd. “I want to say thanks to everyone who supported me tonight. It was electric, and I’m very happy – oh my god!”

Mboko battled over two hours and 45 minutes, rallying from a set down and twice from a break down in the final set as she saved a match point and finally pushed past the No.9 seed in a tiebreak, winning the final three points to lock up a spot in the final where a fourth former major champion – Naomi Osaka – will be waiting.

Osaka defeated Clara Tauson in Wednesday’s second semifinal, 6-2 7-6(7).

Mboko survived despite winning only 35 percent of her second-serve points, thanks to a 72 percent first-serve percentage and a very timely break game. With pinpoint returns, stellar defense, and plenty of guile she earned six breaks of Rybakina’s serve as she locked up her second consecutive Top 20 win and became the youngest woman to reach the final in Canada since Belinda Bencic in 2015.

What was Mboko most proud of?

“I would say my ability to kind of come back in the third set,” she said. “I feel like after I had that fall, I wasn’t in the greatest spirits. Of course, she was playing really great tennis on top of that, but I’m happy that I kept my composure, and I was kind of patient in the right moments.

“I just feel really happy that I was able to bounce back after being down. Even a match point…”

Mboko is also the only Canadian woman to ever defeat three former Slam champions in the same event in Open Era history.

“It was very difficult, Elena is a very good player, but anything can happen,” Mboko said.

The victory was not accomplished without adversity.

Mboko took a fall in the second game of the final set, and had her right wrist examined after the third game, but she was able to play through the pain to get the victory against the woman who knocked her out of the Washington, DC draw last week.

“Unfortunately I fell,” Mboko said. “But everybody was supporting me and pushing me through.”

A remarkable effort from a young woman who is playing in her seventh WTA main draw, and just her third at the WTA 1000 level.

Ranked 85 at the start of the week, Mboko is up to 34 in the WTA live rankings at the moment. She was outside the Top 300 when the season started but 41 wins and just eight losses across all levels have propelled the former junior world No.6 to her current perch.

A Battle Royale

It was tense from start to finish against Rybakina, who rallied from a break down to level at 5-5 in the second set, just two games from the win. But Mboko won eight of the final ten points of the set to force a decider.

In the third, Rybakina was in the driver’s set again, leading 4-2 and 5-3 with a break, but she failed to convert a match point while serving at 5-4 and was broken.

After breaking back in the next game, she was broken at love by Mboko and a tiebreak ensued.

The Canadian saved her best for last – a line-licking forehand that went for a winner and a 5-4 lead in the breaker. Two points later she sank to her knees in disbelief, another Grand Slam champion, another victim of a raw, talented phenom on the rise.

Emotional Tauson Tops Keys, Dedicates Win to Grandfather

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By Chris Oddo | Tuesday August 5, 2025

Clara Tauson was a woman on a mission on Tuesday in Montreal. Two days after notching her second Top-5 win of 2025 over Iga Swiatek, she reeled in her fourth Top-10 triumph of the season by defeating Australian Open champion Madison Keys, 6-1, 6-4.

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It was an emotional victory for the 22-year-old Dane, who told the crowd that she was dedicating the victory to her grandfather, who recently passed way.

“I’m still in shock,” she said, breaking into tears. “Two days ago my grandfather, unfortunately, passed away. I really wanted to win for him today.

“I was told the day after I beat Iga, yesterday, so I really wanted to come out and show my best tennis for him, and hopefully he’s watching.”

Broadcasting (NEC)

Tauson will face either Naomi Osaka or Elina Svitolina in the semifinals.

She was out of the gates fast against sixth-seeded Keys, converting two breaks of serve to claim the opening set in under 30 minutes. Tauson made a break in the first game of set two hold up, saving a break point while serving at 4-3 before closing the match out in one hour and 13 minutes.

Tauson saved all three break points she faced and won each of her nine service games to improve to 32-15 on the season. She reaches her seventh career WTA semifinal, all of which have come on hard courts.

With the win Tauson is up to a career-high No.15 in the live rankings.

Montreal: Naomi Osaka annihilates Elina Svitolina for first WTA 1000 SF since 2022

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Naomi Osaka has been through to her first WTA 1000 semifinal since the 2022 Miami Open after annihilating No. 10 seed Elina Svitolina 6-2 6-2 in Montreal.

Through her opening three matches at the Canadian Open, Svitolina was purely dominant as she didn't drop a set. However, the Japanese four-time Grand Slam champion had a clear game plan and executed it to perfection.

In the first set, Osaka managed to three times break her rival. With two additional breaks in the second set, the former world No. 1 completed her routine straight-set win.

Once again, the Japanese's serve worked exceptionally – she faced break points only in the seventh game of the first set and suffered her lone break of the match in that game. 

For a place in the Montreal final, Osaka will battle against No. 16 seed Clara Tauson, who beat Madison Keys.

Osaka's reaction to beating Svitolina

In her presser, the current world No. 49 was asked how she managed to tame in-form Svitolina.

"I mean, I never really care about the stats of the person I'm playing. I know that everyone is really tough. I mean, I'm fortunate. I played her a couple of times before, and I know that she's one of the best fighters on tour, so I was just expecting a tough match," the Japanese said.

Now, Osaka is set for a second meeting versus Tauson. Earlier this year, the former world No. 1 won the first set of their Auckland final before retiring due to an injury. The 27-year-old was asked whether something stood out about the Dane's game from their first encounter.

"Honestly, I remember feeling like she was a little unconventional. I don't remember why exactly I felt that way, but I think she had a really interesting game. I did watch her play Keys a little bit, but I was, like, warming up and stuff. I'll be curious to see what happens," Osaka recalled.

Naomi Osaka confesses what happened to her after Wimbledon amid deep Montreal run

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Anastasija Pavlyuchenkova

Naomi Osaka says she was so disappointed after Wimbledon to the point where her expectations simply disappeared and finds it ironic that she is now enjoying her best run of the year.

In early July, Osaka made a promising start to her run at The Championships and easily made it past her opening two matches. In the Wimbledon third round, the former world No. 1 was a set away from reaching her first Grand Slam second week since the 2021 Australian Open but then allowed Anastasija Pavlyuchenkova to come back from a set down and beat her. The four-time Grand Slam champion looked absolutely crushed in her presser and even said it was hard for her to find any positives.

A month later, Osaka is through to the semifinal of the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal, where she is due to meet Clara Tauson. This is the Japanese's first WTA 1000 semifinal since she finished as runner-up at the 2022 Miami Open.

Osaka: I was really disappointed after Wimbledon… I kind of let go of my expectations

"I'm really happy. I'm also really excited. I don't know. It's kind of interesting, because I told people this before, but like, obviously after Wimbledon, I was really disappointed. Then I just kind of let go of my expectations, and now we're here. So I find it kind of ironic, but I'm happy about it," the world No. 49 admitted.

By reaching the Montreal semifinals, Osaka will rise at least 20 spots on the updated WTA rankings list on Monday and be ranked at No. 29. That means she will be a top-30 player for the first time in years.

"I feel a lot more at peace with myself and what I want to do in this part of the season," the four-time Grand Slam winner noted.

It remains to be seen if Osaka can continue her fine form and beat Tauson to reach the Montral title match.

Opportunity Knocks For These Five Players in Canada

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By Chris Oddo | Monday August 4, 2025

Among the handful of household names still very much in the mix ahead of quarterfinal action at the 1000-level events in Canada this week, there are a few newbies who could just be ready to make a big splash.

And a four-time major champion that has not seen much success at the biggest events of late.

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Let’s have a look at some of the players that could produce breakout results over the next three days in Canada.

Alex Michelsen

The 20-year-old American has reached his maiden Masters quarterfinals, and that makes three American men in the quarters of a Masters event for the first time since 2004 Indian Wells: Michelsen, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.

Today Michelsen will face Karen Khachanov in Toronto as he bids to become the youngest American man to reach the semifinals at a Masters event since Andy Roddick won the 2003 title. Michelsen, who will rise to No.28 in the live rankings if he wins, is bidding to become the first player born in 2004 to reach a Masters semifinal.

Clara Tauson

The 22-year-old Dane has already defeated two Top-5 players in 2024. She has now reached her second WTA 1000 quarterfinal and is already up to a new career-high ranking of 17 in the live rankings. She’ll face Madison Keys on Tuesday.

Victoria Mboko

It’s all gravy for the youngest player remaining in the women’s draw – and the last Canadian standing in either event — in Montreal this week, as 18-year-old wild card Victoria Mboko faces Jessica Bouzas Maneiro for a spot in the semis on Monday night.

Mboko, making her main draw debut, defeated Coco Gauff to reach her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal. Same for Bouzas Maneiro, and both players are bidding to reach their first tour-level semifinal.

Ben Shelton

22-year-old American Ben Shelton has already reached the semifinals at a major, but he hasn’t gone there at a Masters event thus far. He’ll have a chance to achieve the feat on Tuesday when he meets Alex de Minaur in Toronto, in a first-time meeting.

Of the eight men remaining in the singles draw in Toronto, only the Americans – Michelsen and Shelton – have yet to reach a Masters final.

ben shelton citi open
ben shelton citi open

Naomi Osaka

Could it be the four-time Slam champion’s time to shine again in Montreal? Naomi Osaka, with new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski at the helm, will bid for her first 1000-level semifinal since 2022 in Miami.

The former No.1, who rifled past Anastasija Sevastova in 49 minutes on Sunday, will face former champion Elina Svitolina on Tuesday.

Only four of the remaining eight players left in the Montreal draw have previously won a title at the 1000 level: Madison Keys, Elena Rybakina, Osaka and Svitolina

Clara Tauson gets very honest on how she feels about Caroline Wozniacki comparisons

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Caroline Dawson

Clara Tauson admits she was never a big fan of being compared to Caroline Wozniacki, especially since she believes that they are two "very different players."

When Wozniacki won the 2018 Australian Open title, she became the first Danish woman to win a Grand Slam singles title. Also, the 35-year-old is the first Danish woman to hold the world No. 1 spot in the WTA rankings.

A year after Wozniacki finally made her long-awaited Grand Slam breakthrough, a 16-year-old Tauson won the 2019 Australian Open girls' singles title. To no one's surprise, it instantly drew major focus on the 2019 Australian Open junior champion and led to her being compared to the biggest WTA name from Denmark. 

Six years later, Tauson is a well-established WTA player, having won three titles on the main level. Also, the 25-year-old is now enjoying a career-high ranking of No. 19 in the world. While the three-time WTA winner hasn't turned into a major star yet, she has been doing some nice things and has been the top-ranked Danish female tennis player for the past couple of years.

Tauson on the Wozniacki comparisons: I've always myself from that

"I think I've always separated myself a bit from that, because I mean, obviously Caroline, she's one of the biggest influences in Danish tennis obviously because we're such a small country, and nobody really cares about tennis. But I think we're two very, very different playing styles, and I've always said that from a young age. I don't feel like I've had any kind of pressure like that. We've had some good juniors in the years after also. They never really made it here," the 22-year-old explained.

Meanwhile, Tauson is in the midst of a promising run at the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal, where she has reached the quarterfinal and come three wins away from winning the biggest title of her career. In the Montreal quarterfnal, the Dane plays against Madison Keys.

Even if Tauson loses her next match, she is still guaranteed to improve at least two spots next Monday and achieve a new career-high ranking of No. 17.

Another Match Point Miracle for Keys, Who Advances in Montreal

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Madison Keys is having the year of her life, and she’s overcoming hurdles at seemingly every tour stop. Today in Montreal, another shining example as the American saved a pair of match points to get past Karolina Muchova, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, to book a quarterfinal spot at the Omnium Banque Nationale. 

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“Definitely really happy to get that win,” Keys said. “She’s such a great player, and she’s always such a tough opponent to go against. To be able to, after losing the first set, get back into the match, even being match points down, to be able to figure it out is always a good day.” 

2016 finalist Keys has now won from match points down three times this season – against Iga Swiatek at the Australian Open, against Sofia Kenin at Roland-Garros, and now Montreal, where either Swiatek or Clara Tauson will be her next opponent. 

Muchova had a pair of match points with Keys serving at 4-5 in the third. Previously, Keys, who improved to 35-10 on the season with her win, dropped the opening set before hitting back to take the middle set without surrendering a break. 

In the third Muchova and Keys traded breaks, then the Czech saved three break points while serving at 2-2 to stay on serve. She then had the opportunities with Keys serving at 4-5, 30-40, and six points later at ad-out. 

Keys held her nerve and serve, then converted her third break point for 6-5. She converted her second match point to clinch the hard-earned win in two hours and 21 minutes. 

Anastasija Sevastova

Osaka Routs Sevastova 

Naomi Osaka powered past Anastasija Sevastova 6-1, 6-0 in the second round of four women’s singles round of 16 encounters on Saturday, the Japanese recording her 20th win of the season to match her entire 2024 total.

Osaka got the win in 48 minutes as 386-ranked Sevastova had very little left after winning three three-setters to reach the round of 16.

She will face either Amanda Anisimova or Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals.

Swiatek Powers Past Lys in Montreal, Setting Round of 16 Clash with Tauson

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Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek continues to ride the hot hand on the North American hard courts. The six-time major champion hammered past Eva Lys of Germany on Friday night in Montreal, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the round of 16.

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The 24-year-old Pole has dropped just eight games through two rounds at the Omnium Banque Nationale, and will face 16th-seeded Clara Tauson next.

Tauson took out Yuliia Starodubtseva, 6-3 6-0.

Swiatek has now won nine matches on the trot, dating back to the start of her Wimbledon title run. She is bidding for her 13th career hard court title this week in Montreal, and her first since Indian Wells in 2024.

Swiatek improves to 43-12 on the season with her win.

More to follow…

Montreal: Emma Raducanu gets dismantled in 3R, while Iga Swiatek easily wins

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Amanda Anisimova

Emma Raducanu is out of the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal after being crushed 2-6 1-6 by Amanda Anisimova, while Iga Swiatek extended her winning streak to nine matches after making light work of Eva Lys 6-2 6-2.

Anisimova, who was beaten by Raducanu earlier this year at the Australian Open and Miami, came out determined to make a statement early on and she did so by breaking the Briton three times in the opening set. The second set was a similar story as the fifth-seeded American took the opening five games before serving out for the win in the seventh game.

In the Swiatek and Lys match, there wasn't any drama as the six-time Grand Slam champion got the job done routinely by claiming two breaks in each set. It was a clinical performance from the Polish tennis star, who faced only one break and saved it.

In the Montreal round-of-16, Anisimova will battle against Elina Svitolina, who beat Anna Kalinskaya. On the other side, Swiatek will fight against Clara Tauson – the same rival she beat en route to winning Wimbledon.

Swiatek's reaction to beating Lys

Going into their Montreal meeting, Swiatek and Lys had met twice and the Pole won both of those meetings – 6-1 6-1 in 2022 Stuttgart, 6-0 6-1 at this year's Australian Open. While the Pole gave no chance to Lys again, she insisted that it wasn't really an easy match.

“It’s always fun here. It was a solid match so I’m happy to have a chance to play another one here. The match was different from how we played each other last time. I just focused on myself and knew what my plan was, but Eva played some great down-the-lines and sometimes was really able to use her wrist and play some fast balls. It wasn’t easy, but I’m happy I just did my job," Swiatek said after her win.

Iga Swiatek slams Polish media in brutally honest rant: Weird and ridiculous stuff

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Clara Tauson

Iga Swiatek says she doesn't read a lot of Polish media simply because she finds "ridiculous" some of the stuff that has been written about her over the years.

When the Polish tennis star became one of the best in the women's game, she also instantly became one of the most popular and most recognizable athletes in her country. And as you can correctly guess, that put her every move and result under the extra loop. 

When Swiatek missed some of the Billie Jean King Cup action, she was heavily criticized by the media back home. Also, the former world No. 1 went through some heavy scrutiny before ending her 13-month title drought at Wimbledon. 

Swiatek: Some stuff written about me was weird and ridiculous… I didn't believe people until I read it myself

"Overall, I don't read. I only did when I had, like, two months off from tournaments just because I was kind of bored, and there was a lot of weird things that totally didn't make sense. So I wanted to actually see that because it was so ridiculous that I didn't believe people around me saying that what media wrote. I wanted to have that proof. But besides that, I don't read at all. Doesn't make sense. Sorry, guys," the 24-year-old explained when asked about the Polish press in Montreal.

As mentioned above, Swiatek endured some major criticism during her struggling period as the Polish media heavily speculated reasons behind her dip in results.

After putting up an impressive Wimbledon run and ending her title drought in the best way possible, the current world No. 3 had a message for the Polish media – she ripped their treatment of her as "unpleasant" and asked them to leave her alone.

Meanwhile, Swiatek is also off to a promising start in Montreal, where she will look to extend her winning streak to 10 matches when she takes on Clara Tauson in the round-of-16.

Naomi Osaka on Split from Coach Patrick Mouratoglou

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By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, July 28, 2025
Photo credit: Robert Prange/Getty

Naomi Osaka is ready for a reset.

It won’t include Patrick Mouratoglou.

Former No. 1 Osaka announced she split with Mouratoglou, who coached her for nearly 11 months.

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“Merci Patrick. It was such a great experience learning from you,” Osaka posted on Instagram. “Wishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people I’ve ever met and I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, who split with ex-coach Wim Fissette after the 2024 US Open, began working with Mouratoglou in September of 2024.

 “Yes [he’s] my [coach] right now. I try not to commit to short-term collaborations,” Osaka said last September. “I try to think that it is a long-term commitment. I like the way he coaches. I think it’s going to be very interesting.”

Working with Mouratoglou, Osaka captured her first clay-court title at the WTA 125 event in Saint Malo in May. She also reached the Auckland final in January retiring after dropping the opening set to Clara Tauson, 6-4.

Though they clicked personally, professional results largest eluded Osaka, who fell in three sets to Paula Badosa in the Roland Garros opening round. Osaka reached the Wimbledon third round losing in three sets to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Coach Mouratoglou was philosophical about the parting.

“Nothing lasts forever. What counts is what a collaboration has brought to each other and what lasts after,” Mouratoglou posted on social media.

The 49th-ranked Osaka lost to Emma Raducanu, 6-4, 6-2 in the Washington, DC round of 16 last week. Since she won her fourth Grand Slam championship at the 2021 Australian Open, Osaka has become a mom and spoken publicly about mental health battles. Osaka has played 12 majors since that 2021 AO victory and has yet to surpass the third round. She reached the third round of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year.  

Washington: Emma Raducanu recovers from deficit in each set to reach semfinal

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Anna Kalinskaya

Emma Raducanu made her first semifinal of the year but it came all but an easy way after the British tennis star came from a break down in each set to beat Maria Sakkari 6-4 7-5 in the Washington quarterfinal.

Playing against former world No. 3 Sakkari, Raducanu made a slow start and lost the opening two games. But with three breaks in the remainder of the first set, the 2021 US Open champion managed to overturn the deficit and bag the opener.

After blowing a break in the first set, Sakkari also claimed a break in the sixth game of the second set and went on to open a 5-2 lead. But just when it seemed that their match would go three sets, the British tennis star won the next five games in a row to overturn the deficit once again and complete a two-set win.

In the Washington semifinal, Raducanu will battle against either No. 4 seed Clara Tauson or Anna Kalinskaya.

What Raducanu admitted after beating Sakkari?

After getting the job done against Sakkari in two sets, the 2021 US Open winner admitted that she didn't feel well at all after falling down by a break in the second set and that she just hoped the match wouldn't go three sets.

“I think you get to a point where you’re so tired that you don’t really know what you’re doing anymore, and I think maybe that helped. I just really had to be smooth and conserve energy. I was also thinking if this goes to three sets, I don't know how I’m going to do it. So just happy I toughed it out," the 22-year-old admitted after beating Sakkari.

For Raducanu, this is her first Washington semifinal. In her first two Washington appearances that came in 2022 and 2024, the Briton concluded her run in the quarterfinal.