Naomi Osaka has bludgeoned her way to the Canadian Open quarter-finals.
After defeating 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the round of 16, Osaka demolished Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova.
The Japanese star, a four-time Grand Slam champion, dropped just one game in a 6-1 6-0 victory.
Osaka was completely dominant, winning 76 percent of her second serve points, compared to Sevastova’s 22 percent. The 27-year-old also converted all five of her break-point opportunities.
The Japanese star has started well under the tutelage of Iga Swiatek’s former coach Tomas Wiktorowski, who she hired on a trial basis after parting ways with Patrick Mouratoglou.
Following her performance in Montreal, Osaka was asked about a particular area of her game which has been heavily influenced by Serena Williams.
Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty ImagesNaomi Osaka still thinks about Serena Williams’ serve when she plays
Osaka was asked by one reporter about her serve, with the reporter claiming it is her ‘biggest weapon.’
The Japanese star responded by referring to another tennis great: Serena Williams.
Osaka replied: “I don’t know. I think for me I just grew up in an era of watching Serena, and she would be down Love 40 and hit four aces. I still think about that sometimes when I play.
“I also feel like it doesn’t have to be an ace. I just have to hit a really good serve and see what happens, because off the baseline, I still think I’m one of the better players, so…”
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This is an understandable reflection considering the serving prowess of Serena Williams. The 23-time major winner had one of the best serves in tennis history; her opponents rarely stood a chance against the power and accuracy demonstrated by Williams every time she stepped up to serve.
In the 2012 Wimbledon semi-finals, Williams struck her highest number of aces in a match; firing down 24 of them against Victoria Azarenka.
Williams also struck 23 aces in another match at the same tournament, against Jie Zheng.
The fastest women’s singles match at the 2025 Canadian Open
The Japanese star has picked up her form since hiring new coach Tomas Wiktorowski.
Her strong form has been encapsulated by her dominant results at the Canadian Open: she has made her first quarter-final at a WTA-500 event or better in 2025 while in Montreal.
As per OptaAce, Osaka’s victory over Sevastova was the fastest match at the Canadian Open 2025 in Women’s Singles. The match lasted just 49 minutes.
The 27-year-old will have to continue this good form in the next round. The Japanese star faces Elina Svitolina, who similarly dismantled her round of 16 opponent, defeating Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova 6-4 6-1.
AloJapan.com