MONTREAL, CANADA – AUGUST 06: Naomi Osaka knocked out Clara Tauson in straight sets to book her spot in the final of the Canadian Open. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
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Former world no. 1 Naomi Osaka continued her impressive form in Montreal by reaching the Canadian Open final, where she will face local teen sensation Victoria Mboko.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, defeated Danish 16th seed Clara Tauson 6-2, 7-6(7) on Wednesday night, advancing to her first WTA 1000 final in three years.
The 27-year-old, who is now 49th in the world, saved two set points in the second set at 6-4 in the tiebreak after losing leads of 3-1 and 4-2 earlier in the set.
With the victory, Osaka became the first Japanese player in the Open Era to reach the final at the Canadian Open.
The two-time U.S. Open champion has struggled for form since returning from her maternity break last year, falling in the first round of this year’s French Open and the third rounds at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
But the semifinal victory marks her best result since becoming a mom. When she faces 18-year-old Mboko in Thursday’s final, Osaka will be chasing her first tour-level since the 2021 Australian Open. She last played at a WTA 1000 final in Miami in 2022, losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek.
Naomi Osaka vs Victoria Mboko
Like Osaka, Mboko, too, has been in top form.
The teenager has enjoyed a fairytale run in front of her home crowd – she rallied from a set down to knock out former Wimbledon champion and ninth seed Elena Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) in the semifinals.
Mboko, who also beat Coco Gauff in the last-16, saved a match point against Kazakh Rybakina en route to reaching her maiden WTA 1000 final. Ranked 85th before the tournament, the teenager will break into the Top 40 regardless of her result in the final.
“I had everyone supporting me and pushing me through,” Mboko said in her on-court interview after her three-set thriller that lasted nearly three hours.
“Without you guys, I don’t think I would’ve been able to pull this through.”
Osaka’s title clash with Mboko marks the first time since the introduction of the WTA-1000 tournament level in 2009, that two players ranked outside the Top 40 will face off in the final.
AloJapan.com