By Tony Fairbairn
Jelena Ostapenko [22] v Naomi Osaka
Taylor Fritz [2] v Gabriel Diallo [27]
Elina Svitolina [10] v Anna Kalinskaya
MONTREAL, CANADA – Former US Open champion Naomi Osaka battles Jelena Ostapenko for a place in the fourth round of Montreal.
Jelena Ostapenko [22] v Naomi Osaka H2H & Match Fundamentals
Jelena Ostapenko [22] v Naomi Osaka
H2H: Osaka leads 2-0
WTA Montreal 2025
Montreal, Canada
Hard (O)
Prize Money: $33,000
First on Centre Court (17:30 BST)
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A typical Jelena Ostapenko season has been produced with the Latvian having some incredibly high moments that have been matched with some pretty low moments. After a good start to the year, Ostapenko has only managed two wins since Roland Garros and is now starting to climb down the rankings. When the pressure is off, Ostapenko always produces her best tennis and will be hoping she can do the same here as she has success on her mind at this month’s US Open.
Next up for Ostapenko is former US Open champion Naomi Osaka. It has been an eventful week for Osaka after sacking Patrick Mouratoglou, the former world number one has hired Tomasz Wiktorowski who has coached Iga Swiatek and Caroline Wozniacki before. The results have been imminent as she is into the third round with an impressive win over Liudmila Samsonova. Now Osaka will hope to build on that momentum and make a deep run in Canada ahead of what should be Osaka’s favourite time of year as she searches for a return to the world’s top 30.
Ostapenko will look to dominate on the forehand side, using the serve to establish dominance in the match. Osaka will need to be smart on the return as she looks to use the angles to force Ostapenko into uncomfortable positions in the court. This will be an entertaining match but Osaka should have enough quality and variety to defeat an erratic Ostapenko.
Prediction: Osaka in three sets.
Taylor Fritz [2] v Gabriel Diallo [27] H2H & Match Fundamentals
Taylor Fritz [2] v Gabriel Diallo [27]
H2H: Fritz leads 1-0
ATP Toronto 2025
Toronto, Canada
Hard (O)
Prize Money: $60,400
Third on Centre Court (Not before midnight BST)
Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required
It was a tough first round test for US Open finalist Taylor Fritz but the American prevailed in two tight sets against Roberto Carballes Baena. It’s been a tricky season for Fritz who hasn’t always performed well under pressure but an outstanding grass court season has put his year back on track. However, Fritz now needs to show that he can be consistently present at the latter stages of tournaments as he aims to prove he can become a Grand Slam contender.
Next up for Fritz is big-serving Canadian Gabriel Diallo who has had an outstanding breakthrough year. From being outside the world’s top 100 to now competing for a seeding position at Grand Slams, Diallo’s talent has been present for the world to see. The 23 year-old still has plenty of ways to improve his powerful game and will be looking to take that next step by going deep in tournaments. The question is does Diallo have the variety and problem solving ability to achieve bigger and better things so quickly?
Fritz will aim to get off to a quick start to silence the home crowd as he will use the backhand to pin Diallo behind the baseline. Meanwhile Diallo will be aggressive on serve and look to catch Fritz off guard with his attacking intent. This will be a fiery match with both players looking to repeat their five set epic from Wimbledon. Under the Canadian lights, Diallo can rise to the occasion and secure one of the biggest wins of his career.
Prediction: Diallo in three sets.
Elina Svitolina [10] v Anna Kalinskaya H2H & Match Fundamentals
Elina Svitolina [10] v Anna Kalinskaya
H2H: Svitolina leads 2-0
WTA Montreal 2025
Montreal, Canada
Hard (O)
Prize Money: $33,000
Fourth on Rogers (00:30 BST)
Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required
After an extremely good start to the season, the last few weeks have fallen quite flat for Elina Svitolina. However, the Ukrainian’s resilience and quality should not go under the radar with her being experienced enough to know when she needs to step up her game. Now Svitolina is bidding to end the season on a high with US Open success in her sights given it hasn’t always been her best tournament.
Next up for Svitolina is the in-form Anna Kalinskaya who has had an inconsistent season. The 26 year-old is in some good form on the American hard courts having reached the final in Washington and has continued the good performances going in Washington. Now Kalinskaya will be looking for a deep Grand Slam run in New York as her powerful yet consistent style of play can cause trouble to many big name players.
Svitolina will look to use the backhand to play efficient and counter-attacking tennis. Meanwhile, Kalinskaya will hope to dictate play on the serve and use the forehand to cause Svitolina problems. This could be a contest that Kalinskaya thrives in as her confidence is sky high and is expected to cruise past an out of confident Svitolina.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in three sets.
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