Archive of posts tagged Montreal

Gauff Kick-Starts Serve, Wins Cincinnati Opener

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By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, August 10, 2025
Photo credit: Internazionali BNL d’Italia Facebook

Coco Gauff kick-started her Cincinnati return gearing up her serve to post a revenge win.

The reigning Roland Garros rolled through 16 of her last 19 service points stopping Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2 to roll into the Cincinnati Open third round.

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“It feels great to be back in Cincinnati; obviously two years ago I won,” Gauff said. “And set me up for a great two weeks in New York. So it means a lot to me, this tournament, and I was very happy just to see the site and the improvements and we’re back here in Cincy.”

The second seeded Gauff avenged a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Wang she suffered on the grass of Berlin in June—and did it by resetting after early serve struggles.

Five games into the match, a frustrated Gauff gifted the break to Wang with three double faults, dropped her Head racquet to the court and kicked it toward her court-side seat.

That rare show of exasperation grounded Gauff, who found the range and rhythm on serve.

After spitting up eight double faults in her first three service games, Gauff did not hit a double fault the rest of the match, won 20 of her last 23 service points and snatched three of the last seven games at love.

“I think just taking my time and remembering the things you worked on in practice,” Gauff told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj of finding her serve. “And just try not to fall into the same old patterns and it’s definitely difficult in the moment. It’s a work in progress.”

Exploiting Wang’s deep return position—and the world No. 37’s struggles to land forehand returns—Gauff beat Wang for the second time in three meetings.

The second-ranked American will try to sustain this Cincinnati revenge tour against hard-hitting Dayana Yastremska, who upset Gauff in the Wimbledon first round, 7-6(3), 6-1. 

The Gauff serve was in the spotlight on a steam Cincinnati afternoon today.

Gauff coughed up 43 double faults in three Montreal matches, including a career-high 23 doubles in a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2) win over compatriot Danielle Collins.

The 2023 Cincinnati champion was haunted by double fault ghosts in the first game today. Gauff clanked a couple of double faults but fended off two break points holding to open. 

Double fault demons devoured Gauff as she served at 3-1. After her seventh double fault, Gauff slammed a racquet to the court. Double fault No. 8 ended the game and ignited an irate Gauff into that rare racquet slam and kick of frustration.

Venting her angst seemed to settle Gauff who broke right back for 4-2.

Wang stamped her first hold of the match at love to close the gap to 3-5. 

Serving for the set, Gauff exploited the Chinese player’s forehand return drawing successive errors off that wing then spinning a clean crosscourt forehand snatching a one-set lead after 41 minutes.

It’s a testament to Gauff’s mental strength—and the rest of her game—that she overcome eight double faults, two full games worth of doubles, yet still only permitted three games winning the set.

The Delray Beach-born Gauff trains in the heat and humidity of South Florida. Playing on a sweltering day with temperatures soaring to 90 degrees with 46 percent humidity, Gauff showed no signs of fatigue.

In fact, Gauff got stronger as the match progressed. She ran off 14 consecutive points on serve seizing a 4-2 second-set lead.

Playing with taping on her right calf, Wang inexplicably continued to target Gauff’s backhand wing and struggled to control her own wayward forehand. A Wang double fault and netted half-volley gave Gauff a love break for 5-2. 

The second seed drew a series of errors closing in 70 minutes.

Earlier, Rome champion Jasmine Paolini overcame late-set nerves and a tough Maria Sakkari 7-6(2), 7-6(5).

Credit Sakkari for battling back from 1-5 down in the first set—and fighting off four set points with Paolini serving at 5-3—to force the first tiebreaker. 

Lifting her level in the breaker, Paolini drew five Sakkari errors to go up 6-2. On her fifth set point, the 2024 Wimbledon finalist fired a diagonal forehand for a one-set lead.

Paolini, who squandered a match point bowing to Elina Svitolina in the Roland Garros round of 16, was coming off a brutal Montreal loss where she failed to convert match point in a 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) loss to qualifier Aoi Ito, who bamboozled the Italian with slice forehands in the deciding tiebreaker.

Racing to a 6-0 lead in the second-set tiebreaker today, Paolini was in prime position for a match ending backhand volley only to bunt it in the tape. The ball dribbled back on her side then Sakkari firing winners and saving five match points to close to 5-6 in the breaker.

All that good work dissipated when Sakkari double faulted on the sixth match point and Paolini breathed a big sigh of relief.

“Yes, I’m sorry for her but I was like please make the double, I have to be honest because it was a really tough tiebreaker,” Paolini told Tennis Channel’s Steve Weissman afterward. “It was 6-0 and a volley over the net and I miss it in the net. I was trying to make the right choices, but I have to say she played well. 

“I was like come on Jasmine don’t worry you won six points in a row she won five points in a row it’s normal. But at the same time I was like come on please make a double fault.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas gets brutally honest on tense relationship with father in past

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Apostolos

Stefanos Tsitsipas is the first to admit that his relationship with his father has never been perfect but also adds that it is only now as transparent as possible.

As you probably know, the Greek tennis star had a very messy split with his father in early 2024 August, when he shouted at Apostolos and made him leave the stands of the Montreal Masters. The very next day, they put an end to their partnership. However, what happened in Montreal wasn't the sole instance as it had been rumored for quite some time that there had been a lot of tension in their relationship.

After spending a full year without his coach and lasting only two tournaments in his most recent partnership with Goran Ivanisevic, Tsitsipas decided to return to the factory settings and bring back his father – who guided him in the past to two Grand Slam finals and a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world.

Tsitsipas: We've had bad moments but the communication has never been better

"It's great having him back in the team. Well, it's one of those things that nothing else can beat. I feel like we've worked together for so many years. We've built so many amazing memories together. Obviously, a father-son relationship can be also complicated from time to time," the 26-year-old said on Tennis Channel. 

"I won't deny that we've had our good moments, we've had our bad moments, miscommunications, not being able to communicate with ease in certain aspects or ways. But you know, we're not perfect. We're trying to figure it out. I've been very open with him, which I've never, I've never allowed myself to be that open and that transparent with him ever."

On Saturday, Tsitsipas clinched his first win since returning Apostolos to his team after overcoming Fabian Marozsan 7-6 (3) 6-2 in his opening Cincinnati Masters match. In the Cincinnati third round, the 25th-seeded Greek will take on Benjamin Bonzi.

Tsitsipas is currently ranked at No. 30 in the world and he has struggled with his consistency and results for the past two years. It remains to be seen if his father can help him return to where he once was was.

Another Day, Another Match Point Miracle for Madison Keys

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She’s done it again.

The new and improved Madison Keys is a tightrope walking, nightmare stalking legend, and when the pressure grows to a boil she stays ice-cold.

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The 30-year-old saved match points en route to victory for the fourth time in 2025, defeating Eva Lys 1-6 6-3 7-6(1) to book her spot in the third round at the Cincinnati Open.

Keys saved two match points while serving at 6-5, 15-40. She also rallied from 4-1 down in the second set and then 3-0 in the third set to complete her Houdini act.

“I just kept trying to listen to everyone here cheering me,” Keys said in her on-court interview. “It helped me get back into the match and across the finish line.”

Keys defeated Iga Swiatek from match points down at the Australian Open, then took out Sofia Kenin from match point down at Roland-Garros. In Montreal the American saved two to get past Karolina Muchova.

Keys has won ten matches from a set down this year, and 15 three-setters overall.

She will face Japanese qualifier Aoi Ito in the third round.

More to follow…

Leylah Fernandez issues latest dating update: Stalked him a bit and had a date

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Broadcasting (NEC)

Leylah Fernandez reveals she has had two dates with "a nice guy" and a love relationship is definitely a realistic option since they are "keeping in contact."

Just before kicking off her triumphant Washington, the 22-year-old said she wanted to have her first-ever date in Montreal and encouraged interested individuals to reach out to her. At the Canadian Open, the local star lost in the first round so she had lots of time to go out on a date.

After arriving at Cincinnati, Tennis Channel caught up with Fernandez. To no one's surprise, the 2021 US Open finalist was asked to issue an update on the dating matter. The world No. 24 proceeded to reveal that a couple of international guys were interested in flying out to Montreal to meet, but she didn't want that. Instead, she waited and hoped that a local would appear.

Fernandez: His first message caught my attention… Stalked him a bit and he's real

"So I was giving it one more day, and then I stumbled upon him, and his message kind of caught my attention," the 22-year-old said on Tennis Channel.

"When I asked him, 'Did you even see my video?' And he's like, 'No, I didn't.' His first message just kind of caught my attention, and then afterwards I stalked him to make sure that he's real. He's a real person, seemed like a nice guy, and then got a couple opinions from family, team members, to make sure that they were okay with it. There's been a second date, and we're keeping in contact, so we'll see."

During Washington, Fernandez jokingly but also seriously told guys not to be afraid of her dad because it wasn't true that he was "unwelcoming." Evidently, the Canadian's date passed the dad test and everything has gone well so far. 

Andrey Rublev reveals the main advice he received from Marat Safin

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Andrey

Andrey Rublev understood that he had to change some things to get out of the crisis that has affected him in the last year and a half, which is why he decided to start a new collaboration with his compatriot Marat Safin. The latter cannot travel with him to all the tournaments on the calendar, but he is helping him with his advice and some progress has been seen from the Russian ace.

The player from Moscow put in good performances during the Wimbledon Championships last month and did not disappoint at the Toronto Masters 1000 either, although he was unable to 'defend' the final reached in Montreal last year.

He is not far from the Top 10 of the ATP rankings right now and can aspire to achieve this goal by achieving good results at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 and especially at the US Open, two tournaments that should be suitable for his game.

Rublev opens up on Safin 

During a recent interview with 'Tennis Bolshe', Andrey revealed that Safin is spurring him to add new weapons to his game to become more unpredictable: "I've understood for some time that I have to do something different if I want to become competitive again at the highest level. I knew that scoring more frequently was one of the main keys from a tactical point of view, but I was almost never able to do it until Marat came along. He told me that there were no other options and I had to try until I could do it."

Although Safin has a consulting role in Rublev's team, his main coach continues to be Fernando Vicente who has followed him since the beginning of his career. The latter has sacrificed much of his private life to help Andrey realize his dream and the Russian champion has never missed an opportunity to show him his enormous gratitude.

"Our relationship goes far beyond what is usually between a player and his coach. Fernando is a member of my family in some respects," Rublev said in a recent interview.

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.

Karen Khachanov comments on Victoria Mboko win causing viral Toronto final stoppage

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Ben Shelton

Karen Khachanov suggests he wasn't that surprised by the Toronto crowd's reaction to Victoria Mboko's Montreal triumph as the Russian says stuff like this is pretty common in Canada.

In case you missed it, the clock struck at 30 minutes of play in the Toronto Masters final when the crowd started going nuts – it happened as Khachanov was preparing to serve against Ben Shelton. The Russian stood there waiting for the spectators to calm down, while his American rival looked in disbelief and had no idea what was happening. The chair umpire provided quick explanation by telling the 22-year-old that the crowd was probably celebrating Mboko's win over Naomi Osaka in the Montreal final.

When the play continued, Khachanov managed to win a very tight opener against Shelton with a 7-6 (5) scoreline. Unfortunately for the Russian, he didn't manage to complete the job as Shelton came back from a set down to win 6-7 (5) 6-4 7-6 (3).

Khachanov comments on the viral Toronto final interruption

In his post-final presser, Khachanov was asked whether he had experienced anything like that before. And he said that something similar happened when Denis Shapovalov upset Rafael Nadal at the Canadian Open eight years ago.

"I think in Canada it's happening, but, yeah, if I remember, I think every year it happens, you know, from city to city they cheer for a local player, yeah. I remember I think in long time ago it was with Shapovalov, when he reached also like first time semifinals I think when he beat Rafa. I was playing I guess in Toronto, and then I remember something like this was happening, yeah," the 29-year-old said.

Montreal Champ Mboko to Skip Cincinnati to Rest Wrist

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By Chris Oddo | Friday August 8, 2025

18-year-old Victoria Mboko is the talk of the town in Montreal and around the tennis world after she claimed her maiden WTA title on Thursday evening with an emotional win over Naomi Osaka in the Omnium Banque Nationale final.

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She’ll take some time away from the spotlight, however.

The Canadian has elected to pull out of the Cincinnati Open draw in order to rest the wrist she injured while falling during her semifinal win over Elena Rybakina in Montreal.

“I’m not planning on playing Cincinnati at the moment,” she said, after explaining that her right wrist was swollen on Thursday, and adding that she went to the hospital earlier that day for an MRI/X-Ray. “I just want to take care of my wrist a little bit right now, and I think it’s just very close and sudden for me to go there and play again I think in, like, two days.

“I think I’m just going to sit out on that one and prepare for the upcoming tournaments.”

Osaka, who reached her first WTA 1000 final since 2022 in Montreal, has also withdrawn from Cincinnati.

Mboko admitted that the swelling in her wrist was concerning but said it didn’t affect her play against Osaka too much.

“It was pretty swollen, and it was really stiff and hard to move,” she said. “So we decided to go to do an MRI and an X-ray just to make sure that nothing too serious was happening, that I could have the possibility of playing.

“When I got the green light, I just had to make sure I saw the physios, and we taped it up properly before the match and a very solid tape job. Yeah, I just did as much as I could to prepare for the match.”

Mboko, who rose from No.85 to No.24 in today’s WTA rankings, defeated four former Grand Slam champions during her run to the title in Montreal. It was just her seventh WTA main draw.

She says she doesn’t want to get over the moon about her success, however.

“I surround myself with people who have known me for so long, and I just like to keep a small circle,” Mboko said. “I like to be really relaxed and calm. So I think going forward, I just want to keep the same routines that I’m usually used to.

“I don’t want to put so much pressure on myself just because of something that happened this week, because life goes on. There’s always another tournament, whether win or lose. I’m just happy to live the moment. Once it’s passed, it’s passed.”

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.

Karen Khachanov comments on dealing with angry bettors amid sad Elina Svitolina case

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Alexander Zverev

Karen Khachanov says every tennis player is pretty familiar with online abuse and admits it is not a pleasant feeling, but believes that staying smart and not engaging with such people is the best thing to do.

In case you missed it, Elina Svitolina was subjected to some pretty disgusting messages following her Montreal quarterfinal loss on Monday – her DM was full of various insults and some even mentioned her family and sent death threats.

On Tuesday, Khachanov was in action at the Canadian Masters as he defeated top seed Alexander Zverev 6-3 4-6 7-6 (4) to reach the final. In his presser, the 29-year-old Russian was asked whether he noticed Svitolina's post and if he has dealt with something similar.

"My whole career, I would say, I heard it (laughing), like any other tennis player, I guess any other sportsman, athlete, you know," the seven-time ATP champion said.

Khachanov: They want to provoke you and you sometimes want to respond… But don't do that

"Now anyone can write anything they want, from fake accounts or whatever, just to kind of, yeah, piss you off or whatever, just get inside your head. But this is what they are trying to do… But sometimes you want to respond. But at the same time this is what they are trying, they are provoking you. You know, to answer means, means that it matters to you, so you just have to try to get over it," the Russian explained.

In the same interview, Khachanov noted that his agents run his social media accounts and that he only uses social media when he wants to personally check something, and that he tries to avoid reading anything else as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Khachanov is due to play Ben Shelton in the Toronto Masters final. If the 2018 Paris champion wins, it will be his second Masters title.

Coco Gauff drops hilarious line after winning Montreal doubles title

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Alexandra Eala

Coco Gauff captured her first doubles title in over a year and then hilariously remarked that her "temporary return" to doubles was instant success.

After disappointingly seeing her Montreal singles campaign end in the round-of-16, the American stayed in Canada because she still had doubles going on with fellow American McCartney Kessler. In their first appearance as a pair, the American duo won a total of five matches and impressively beat No. 3 seeds Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai 6-4 1-6 13-11 in the final.

For Gauff, this was her third doubles tournament of the year. Previously, the American teamed up with Robin Montgomery in Madrid and with Alexandra Eala in Rome, respectively. The 21-year-old now has 10 doubles titles in her collection.

"Lol temporarily came out of doubles retirement and got a dub!" the top-ranked American female tennis player wrote on her Instagram Story.

Coco Gauff Instagram Story

Coco Gauff Instagram Story© Coco Gauff/Instagram – Fair Use

 

Gauff enjoyed big success with Jessica Pegula but they stopped playing together

Across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Gauff and Pegula were one of the top teams on the WTA Tour and they won a total of five doubles titles during that period and were also finalists at the 2022 French Open. 

Going into the 2024 Paris Olympics, their goal was to capture the gold medal – or at least win any medal. But those hopes were quickly squashed after they picked up a surprise round-of-16 loss to Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova.

Since then, Gauff and Pegula haven't played together. Earlier this year, Pegula insisted everything was fine between the two but they simply stopped playing doubles because they wanted to focus on singles.

"Coco and I played so much for a couple years there. We did great. A lot of really amazing results and memories. At the same time doing well in the singles court, we obviously didn't want to play as much anymore. The schedule just gets really, really tough. I've barely played this year, probably won't play any of the Grand Slams this year," the 31-year-old explained.

KK Pop: Khachanov Saves Match Points, Edges Zverev To Reach Toronto Final

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By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Photo credit: National Bank Open by Rogers Facebook

A titanic tiebreak tug of war culminated with Karen Khachanov making the pivotal pull. 

Khachanov denied match point in the 12th game edging top-seeded Alexander Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) in a near three-hour thriller to advance to his second career ATP Masters 1000 final in Toronto tonight.

Alexander Zverev

The 16th-ranked Russian reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final since he stunned Novak Djokovic to capture the 2018 Paris Masters Indoors.

Khachanov will face the winner of tonight’s all-American semifinal between second-seeded Taylor Fritz and fourth-seeded Ben Shelton in tomorrow’s final.

Tonight’s opening semifinal was a rematch of the 2021 Olympic gold-medal match that saw Zverev prevail 6-3, 6-1. 

Though Khachanov took the court armed with an ignominious 2-21 record vs. Top 3-ranked opponents, he showed major mettle at crunch time—and was aided by a fortunate bounce off the net that kept him in this tight test.

“Generally I think today also I didn’t feel my best on the court, didn’t play my best tennis,” Zverev said. “Also, the first set was terrible, so I kind of gave him a head start, and he’s too good to not use that.

“So, yeah, I still had match point, so it’s upsetting that I lost this match. But that’s the way it is, we move on, I go to Cincinnati and try to do better.”

Serving down match point at 5-6 in the decider, Khachanov challenged Zverev’s vaunted backhand. The German lined up his two-hander and lashed a liner that had match-ending winner written all over it. 

The return crashed into the top of the tape, hung in the air for a split second then dripped back onto Zverev’s side of the net as Khachanov breathed a sigh of relief.

That reprieve emboldened the Russian, who ripped a forehand down the line holding to force the decisive tiebreaker. 

When Zverev zapped a swinging forehand volley winner he was up 3-1 in the tiebreaker and seemingly in command. 

Khachanov had other ideas.

The 11th-seeded Khachanov tore through five points in a row coaxing a couple of backhand errors and knocking off a high forehand volley. Zverev’s two-handed backhand is one of the best in the sport, but he netted that trusty weapon to face three match points at 6-3.

On his second match point, Khachanov cranked the wide serve closing a two hour, 52-minute battle. 

It was Khachanov’s first Top 10 win of the season, his first win over Zverev since the 2019 Montreal and sends him into his first final of the year.

In the opening set, Zverev more than doubled Khachanov’s winner total—11 to 5—but Khachanov cashed in on the lone break point of the set and that made all the difference. Khachanov converted the lone break point of the set for 3-1 and consolidated for 4-1. The bearded Russian converted his third set point for a one-set lead.

On the fast Toronto court, neither man was severely stressed on serve in the second set until the final game when Khachanov played a horrific game and Zverev broke to snatch the set and forced a decider.

This match marked the eighth time in the tournament a match was decided in the final-set tiebreaker.

Naomi Shines – In Montreal, Osaka Reaches Biggest Final Since 2022

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By Chris Oddo | Wednesday August 6, 2025

It is Naomi Osaka’s time to shine once again. Back on her beloved hard courts, the four-time major champion has found her mojo and reeled off six consecutive victories to reach her biggest final since she played the Miami Open final in the spring of 2022.

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Osaka edged past rising Dane Clara Tauson, 6-2 7-6(7) to book a date in the final with 18-year-old Victoria Mboko, who earlier saved a match point to oust Elena Rybakina in three dramatic sets.

Osaka reaches her fifth WTA 1000 final and her first at Montreal.

Osaka saved seven of nine break points, and converted four of five of her own, but her night got tricky in the second set when Tauson, bidding for her second 1000 final of the year, twice rallied from a break down to level the second set.

The Dane held her own from 4-4, forcing a tiebreak, and even had a pair of set points in the breaker. She couldn’t push through and Osaka took the reins to finish off the hard-hitting duel as she converted her second match point to close out her 22nd win of the season in one hour and 48 minutes.

More to follow…

Venus Williams had hilarious explanation for playing pro tennis at 45

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Cincinnati

Venus Williams is keeping it light at the start of Cincinnati as the 45-year-old jokes she is still playing tennis because it does well for her body "figure."

As you probably know, the seven-time Grand Slam champion pleasantly surprised the tennis community when she accepted a late wildcard into the WTA 500 tournament in Washington. And the former world No. 1 made some noise in the United States capital, defeating Peyton Stearns in her first match in 16 months, for her first win since 2023. 

After a solid Washington round-of-16 outing, Williams also received a main draw wildcard into this week's WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati. In her pre-tournament presser, the American tennis icon was asked to address playing pro tennis in her mid-forties and she didn't disappoint with her answer

“It’s obviously no secret that you get great legs and great arms from playing tennis. So, I figured I’d at least keep my figure if that’s the very least we do!" the 45-year-old joked.

Williams then got serious and explained what really allowed her to play at 45

Williams may not have played much over the last couple of years. However, she always remained active, from hitting balls on the practice to doing regular gym exercises.

"I never stopped hitting the ball, even when I was away—not as intensely as you would if you were replaying playing tournaments, but still going out there. When I was on the court, I was always working on my game. I didn’t just let it all fall apart. Even if it was just a half hour, I still wanted to get something out of it," the former world No. 1 explained.

Meanwhile, in the Cincinnati first round, Williams will take on world No. 51 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro – the two have no previous meetings.

Heading into the match, Bouzas Maneiro is playing some of the tennis of her life and she is coming off a quarterfinal showing in Montreal. 

Williams probably enters the match as the underdog but there is no doubt that will put up a big fight, just as she did in Washington.

Coach Patrick Mouratoglou sheds light on what led to split with Naomi Osaka

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Auckland

Patrick Mouratoglou suggests he ran out of time to solve Naomi Osaka's woes but insists that he has no regrets over accepting the job. 

After 10 months of working together, Osaka decided to stop working with Mouratoglou just before the start of the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal. During their tenure, the former world No. 1 showed some positive flashes, like reaching the Auckland final and winning her first clay at the WTA 125 tournament in Saint-Malo. But the main reason why the Japanese brought the French coach wasn't accomplished – that was doing well on the biggest stage, specifically Grand Slams.

To Mouratoglou's defense, it should be noted that Osaka dealt with a back injury in late 2024 and was also hampered by an abdominal issue at the start of 2025. 

Now, in her first tournament since splitting with Mouratoglou and adding Tomasz Wiktorowski to her team, the Japanese has made the semifinal of the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal. Addressing that, the French coach tells CNN that he is happy for the 27-year-old and that he is rooting for her to "go all the way."

Then, he shed light on some of the reasons that led to their split.

Mouratoglou: I thought Osaka lacked her past competitiveness… We never solved it

“The thing that was missing was the competitiveness. I think she’s a great competitor, but at that time she was not as good as a competitor as I think can be and she has been in the past. And this is the thing that we didn’t solve. I wish we could have more time to solve it. But we didn’t, that’s life, and I have no regrets on that because that’s the rule when you work in high level. I mean, time is important, and you have to solve the problems fast. So I think that was the key that was missing," the French coach told CNN.

In the same interview, Mouratoglou said that he told Osaka she was ready to win but just needed to find the right guidance. Considering how the Japanese's debut tournament with Wiktorowski has been going, she might have found that right piece.

Nick Kyrgios 'disgusted' by horrifying abuse targeted at Elina Svitolina

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athlete

Nick Kyrgios offered some empathy to Elina Svitolina after seeing the shocking abuse she received for only losing a tennis match. 

In the Montreal quarterfinal, Svitolina didn't enjoy a good day at the office and Naomi Osaka took full advantage of it to complete a 6-2 6-2 win.

After arriving in the hotel and checking her phone, Svitolina noticed that she was flooded by abusive and insulting messages of all sorts – she wasn't insulted only on a career level but the angry bettors also mentioned her marriage and family. As if that wasn't enough, the Ukrainian also received death threats.
 
Svitolina took several screenshots – she posted them – and then delivered a blunt message to her abusers: “To all the bettors: I'm a mom before I'm an athlete. The way you talk to women – to mothers – is SHAMEFUL. If your moms saw your messages, they'd be disgusted…”

Kyrgios reacts to Svitolina dealing with horrifying social media abuse

"Disgusting (sad emoji), the 2022 Wimbledon finalist wrote on X after noticing the Ukrainian's post.

A couple of years ago, Kyrgios decided to go public with his mental health story and revealed that there was a point in 2019 when he battled major depression, anxiety, and even had suicidal thoughts during that period. In one of his interviews around the time of his revelation, the Australian admitted that it wasn't easy to deal with constant social media abuse. 

“I deal with it all the time. People just think raising the finger, abusing someone or making racist comments is acceptable in this day and age and I just don’t think that’s acceptable at all," Kyrgios said at the time.

Unfortunately, social media abuse remains a major problem and that's why some players decided to ditch social media in recent years.

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.

Osaka Continues Torrid Tennis, Reaching First Semifinal in Canada

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By Chris Oddo | Tuesday August 5, 2025

New coach, new vibes?

Naomi Osaka is finding her best tennis in her first tournament with new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski. The four-time major champion defeated Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday night in Montreal, notching five consecutive wins for the first time since 2022, and setting a semifinal with 22-year-old Dane Clara Tauson.

It was a dominant performance from Osaka, who reached the last four in Canada for the first time in her career in her sixth career appearance in Canada.

“I think for me I’m just having a lot of fun playing and I’m really glad to be here,” said the 27-year-old former World No.1. “It’s been seven years.”

Osaka broke serve five times from seven opportunities, kept her error count far lower than Svitolina and won 83 percent of her first-serve points to improve to 21-11 on the season.

“I’m really happy,” she told reporters. 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.”

With her win Osaka rises to No.29 in the WTA live rankings, which means she will be seeded at the US Open.

Coach Davide Sanguinetti reveals his honest approach to Elena Rybakina

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Australian Open

Davide Sanguinetti says he definitely has a different approach to WTA players because female athletes are "more sensitive" and therefore he has to be a bit softer in his methods. 

In January, Elena Rybakina went through a very tumultuous period when she decided to bring back Stefano Vukov to her team – that didn't sit well with Goran Ivanisevic at all – who left the Kazakh's team as soon as she finished her Australian Open campaign. To make it all worse for the 26-year-old, the WTA concluded their investigation into Vukov's behavior and he was handed a one-year ban from coaching.

Following the Vukov ban news, Rybakina hired former Italian tennis player Sanguinetti. In the past, the Italian worked with Dinara Safina, Vincent Spadea, Go Soeda, and Brandon Nakashima. As you probably know, Safina played her last pro match in 2011 so a lot of time passed between the last time that Sanguinetti coached on the WTA Tour.

Rybakina's coach Sanguinetti: We definitely need to be more sensitive to girls

"We definitely need to be more sensitive to girls, who have different ways of interacting. It was new to me; I'm learning and adapting," the Italian coach said on Italian channel Supertennis.

One of the reasons why Ivanisevic left Rybakina's team was the fact that he thought he would be the lone coach in her team. But after she decided to bring back Vukov after all the controversies that surrounded them, Ivanisevic decided it simply wasn't worth it. 

When Sanguinetti arrived in the 26-year-old's team, he was directly asked how he felt about Vukov. And he confirmed that he was fine with Vukov. 

"Vukov and Elena are close, he will always be there. Stefano and I talk a lot, we are on the same wavelength. It’s not a problem to have two coaches, it’s almost a trend now," the 52-year-old said in February.

Meanwhile, Rybakina is in the midst of a great Montreal run, where she made the semifinal.

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

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Auckland

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.

Elina Svitolina reveals vile abuse, death threats she received after Montreal loss

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AI-based technologies

Elina Svitolina took to social media to share some absolutely disgusting and horrifying messages she received following her Montreal quarterfinal exit.

After not losing a single set through her opening three Montreal matches, the 10th-seeded Ukrainian didn't play her best against an inspired Naomi Osaka, who claimed a routine 6-2 6-2 win.

Shortly after the loss, Svitolina was flooded by negative and abusive messages – presumably from angry bettors. In a series of screenshots she took and posted on her Instagram Story, the Ukrainian revealed that the was insulted as a player – woman – her marriage to Gael Monfils was also mentioned – and she even received death threats.

Svitolina's message to the bettors: I'm a mom before I'm an athlete

The 30-year-old Ukrainian, who became a mother for the first time in late 2022, had a strong message for the social media abusers, telling them: “To all the bettors: I'm a mom before I'm an athlete. The way you talk to women – to mothers – is SHAMEFUL. If your moms saw your messages, they'd be disgusted…”

Unfortunately, social media abuse isn't anything new in the tennis world. Over the last several years, there have been numerous cases of a player losing the match and then seeing their DM flooded with vile messages. 

Certain tournaments have started using AI-based technologies to filter out negative and abusive messages. But that's still in its early stages and players are still widely exposed to social media abuse. 

Raducanu Hires Francisco Roig as New Coach

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By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Photo credit: Mubadala Citi DC Open Facebook

Emma Raducanu has hired Franciso Roig in an effort to continue a renaissance season.

The 2021 US Open champion has hired Rafael Nadal’s former coach through the end of the 2025 season, PA News Agency reports.

2017 US Open

The 57-year-old Spaniard was a long-time coaching member of Nadal’s team, later coached Matteo Berrettini and has experience coaching on the WTA Tour as well. Roig, who reached a career-high rank of No. 60 on the ATP Tour, also coached 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens.

Roig succeeds Mark Petchey, who had been coaching Raducanu on an informal basis since the Miami Open. Tennis Channel analyst had agreed to work with Raducanu through the end of the grass-court season, but could not commit to coaching her full time because of his television commentary obligations.

Working with Petchey, who previously coached Andy Murray, Raducanu registered some of her best results in years.

The 22-year-old Raducanu reached quarterfinals at Miami and Queen’s Club and was a semifinalist in Washington, DC. Working with Petchey, Raducanu applied her athleticism and found the joy in her tennis.

The 33rd-ranked Raducanu has defeated former Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka and Marketa Vondrusova in recent months and led world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka by a break in both sets before bowing 7-6(6), 6-4 in the Wimbledon third round.

After that match, Raducanu said she hoped to continue working with Petchey, but understood his position.

“Yeah, it’s very difficult. He obviously also has his commentating commitments,” Raducanu said at Wimbledon. “He agreed to kind of help me until the end of Wimbledon and then we kind of see from there because he gave up some work to work with me here, which I really appreciate and I’m grateful for.”

The challenge Roig faces is encouraging Raducanu to continue to apply her athleticism, all-court skills and versatility, particularly against big hitters, who can overpower her. Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova crushed Raducanu 6-2, 6-1 in Montreal playing bold first-strike tennis.

Still, Raducanu should be encouraged with the strides she made working with Petchey that prompted No. 1 Sabalenka to make a bold assertion about the Briton.

“I cannot predict anything, but I definitely sure that, maybe not in a month, but maybe a bit longer period, but she definitely going to get back in top,” Sabalenka said after her Wimbledon win over Raducanu. “She’s fighting. She’s playing much better.

“She’s more consistent. I can see that mentally she’s healthy. I think that’s really important. Yeah, I’m pretty sure she’s getting there.”

Mboko’s Dream Run Continues – 18-Year-Old Reaches Montreal Semis

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By Chris Oddo | Monday August 4, 2025

Canadian sensation Victoria Mboko is on her way to becoming a star. Already turning heads at Roland-Garros, where she reached the third round from qualifying, the Canadian continues to impress on her home soil, where she reached the semifinals at the Omnium Banque Nationale with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain before a thrilled, partisan crowd on Monday night.

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Mboko is the fourth youngest woman to reach the last four at the WTA’s 1000 level event in Canada since 2000, and the youngest since 2015.

“I know it’s not over,” she said. “I’m so excited to be in the semifinals here, it’s been unreal.

“I think just to play in front of the Canadian crowd – I train here and it’s my first time playing in Montreal and it has been an unreal experience and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Mboko will face Elena Rybakina in the semifinals on Wednesday in Montreal. She is slated to crack the Top-50 in next week’s rankings, regardless of how she fares against the former Wimbledon champion in the semifinals.

There were no break points through seven games in a tight opening set, then three in succession as the Canadian locked up the set with her second break for 6-4.

After falling behind 2-0 in the second the Canadian pegged the accelerator and reeled off the final six games to clinch victory in 77 minutes.

Rybakina got past Marta Kostyuk earlier in the day when the Ukrainian was forced to pull out with a wrist injury while trailing 6-2, 2-1.

Top-Seeded Zverev Dethrones Defending-Champion Popyrin for 75th Semifinal in Toronto

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By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, August 4, 2025
Photo credit: Peter Power/Tennis Canada/National Bank Open Facebook

Popping with physicality, Alexander Zverev unleashed a series of kangaroo hops behind the baseline more than two hours into tonight’s match.

Showing spring in his steps and sting on his shots, Zverev dethroned defending National Bank Open champion Alexei Popyrin 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-3 to bounce into a historic semifinal. 

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The top-seeded Zverev snapped Popyrin’s nine-match winning streak at the Canadian Open creating history for the second time in the tournament. 

Zverev, who rallied to his 500th career victory on Thursday, advanced to his 75th career Tour-level semifinal, including his 21st ATP Masters 1000 final four, tonight. 

The former Olympic gold-medal champion joins reigning gold-medal champion Novak Djokovic (196) as just the second active man to reach 75 career semifinals.

The 27-year-old German, who won the 2017 Montreal title, will play either 11th-seeded Karen Khachanov or 20-year-old American Alex Michelsen for a spot in the Toronto final.

A tense opening set saw each man save a break point before drama spiked in the tiebreaker. 

In a topsy-turvy tiebreaker, Popyrin seized a 5-3 lead only to see Zverev reel off three points in a row for a set point at 6-5. 

A diagonal forehand from the Aussie drew a backhand error for 6-all. Popyrin held a set point at 7-6, but Zverev slid a serve down the T to save it. 

The top seed held a second set point at 8-7 but netted a forehand return off a second serve, erupting in a primal scream of anguish. 

Popyrin crashed a 139 mph ace down the T—his eighth ace—for a second set point at 9-8. Popyrin showed his guts attacking behind a forehand down the line then tapped a half volley that kissed the top of the tape and dribbled over to end a tight first set. 

Popyrin raised both hands in apology, taking a one set lead after 1 hour, 11 minutes of play.

Resetting, Zverev held to start the second set then gained the first break of the night on a series of miscues from the Aussie. Popyrin sailed a forehand and double faulted deep ceding the break and a 2-0 second-set lead. 

Zverev stamped his second love hold of the match extending his advantage to 3-0. 

Seemingly in control of the set at 4-2, Zverev’s forehand failed him in the seventh game. The German decelerated slapping a forehand into the net—his third forehand error of the game—gifting the champion the love break as Popyrin crept closer at 3-4. 

Stepping into the court and putting his body weight behind the ball, Zverev lashed a forehand down the line for triple set point in the 10th game. Though Popyrin saved the first set point, he tried the serve-and-volley and pushed a makeable forehand volley wide as Zverev snatched the second set with his second break after one hour, 58 minutes.

An increasingly weary-looking Popyrin opened the court with a wide serve but pushed his favored forehand wide to face a break point. Popyrin sailed a backhand wide ending a sloppy game to gift Zverev the break and a 2-0 lead in the final set. 

A pumped-up Zverev pulled off the shot of the match—a superb full-stretch flying forehand volley winner to help him hold at 15 for a 3-0 lead.

Serving with command in the final set, Zverev served 70 percent and won 15 of 15 first-serve points. Impressive, especially considering one idiot in the crowd was screaming in distraction as the German’s ball toss went up in the final game. The disruptor elicited a double-fault, but credit Toronto security for finding the unruly fan and escorting him out of the stadium.

Zverev closed in two hours, 42 minutes pausing to turn and wave bye bye to the second of the stadium where the disruptor was sitting.