Naomi Osaka keeps on winning.
After giving birth to her first child almost two years ago, Osaka punched her ticket to the Canadian Open with a win over Clara Tauson of Denmark, 6-2, 7-6(7) in Montreal.
The victory marks her first final in a tour event since January in New Zealand. If she wins the championship, it will be her first tournament win since the Australian Open in 2021.
During the press conference following the match, Osaka explained that she feels like a grandmother at this stage of her career.
“Honestly, it’s giving grandma low-key right now, but no,” joked Osaka. “I think for me, I’m a really fast healer anyway, regardless. That’s always been a really good trait of mine. I’ve also been the type that feels better the more matches I play.”
“I don’t know, I feel pretty good. So hopefully that’s good enough to play against a teenager, because I know she’ll be feeling great.” she continued.
In the final round, Osaka will take on Canadian teenage sensation Victoria Mboko, marking the first meeting between the two players.
According to The Mirror, Osaka admitted that she was “stunned” after discovering that Mboko looked up to her.
“I don’t know, it’s funny because I see her on the TV, and I was low-key like, ‘That’s my little twin’, because we both have our blue dresses and our buns and everything,” Osaka said.
“Yeah, I’m really honored. I always said that I would love to play someone that looked up to me in a way, so it’s happening way sooner than I thought it would.”
The Canadian Open final in Montreal will take place on Thursday, August 7, at 6 pm local time.
AloJapan.com