Osaka and Keys Advance to Quarter-Finals at Canadian Open
Naomi Osaka and Madison Keys both secured their spots in the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open, showcasing impressive performances in Montreal.
Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion, dominated her match against Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova, winning convincingly with a score of 6-1, 6-0. The match lasted just 49 minutes, a swift display of power and precision that belied Sevastova’s recent success in the tournament, where she had knocked out defending champion Jessica Pegula in the previous round.
Osaka, who has been working with new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski after parting ways with Patrick Mouratoglou, expressed satisfaction with her game plan. “I had a solid plan coming in here and it just happened to work out pretty well,” said Osaka, who is currently ranked 49th in the world and is on a quest for her first title since returning from maternity leave in early 2024.
In another thrilling match, American Madison Keys fought back from a set down to defeat Czech player Karolina Muchova, winning 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a grueling two-hour and 20-minute contest. Keys displayed remarkable resilience, saving two match points before securing her victory. The Australian Open champion will now face either world number three Iga Swiatek or Clara Tauson in the next round.
In the men’s tournament, Australian Alex de Minaur continued his strong form, overcoming American seventh seed Frances Tiafoe with a scoreline of 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals in Toronto. De Minaur, who recently won the Washington Open, is looking to improve upon his runners-up finish from 2023.
However, the tournament saw a surprising exit as fifth seed Holger Rune was defeated by Alexei Popyrin, who won 6-4, 2-6, 3-6, eliminating Rune from contention.
