Archive of posts tagged the 2022 Miami Open

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.