NBO Upsets Continue as Tauson, Osaka Advance to Semifinals
MONTREAL – Clara Tauson and Naomi Osaka continued a stunning run of upsets at the National Bank Open (NBO) in Montreal, Canada, securing semifinal berths on Tuesday. Neither player was seeded in the top eight, mirroring a tournament defined by unexpected results. Tauson defeated No. 14 seed Madison Keys 6-4,6-4,while Osaka convincingly beat No.10 seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2.
Tauson,22,has yet to drop a set throughout the tournament and is now within two victories of claiming her first WTA Tour 1000 title. keys acknowledged Tauson’s strong performance, stating she “served realy well and it was kind of one of those things where I kept trying different things and she was just beating me.” Tauson emphasized her focus on consistency and gaining experience from matches against top-10 opponents, noting, “Try to win these matches…and when I’m winning them, great. If I don’t, I know I’ll get a lot of experience from them.”
Osaka’s victory marks a meaningful milestone in her return to professional tennis following a leave in 2023 to focus on motherhood. This is her first WTA 1000 or Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance in 19 months, and she expressed both happiness and excitement about her progress. Following a disappointing third-round exit at Wimbledon, Osaka adjusted her approach, stating she “just kind of let go of my expectations and now we’re here.” Currently ranked 49th, Osaka is projected to climb into the top 30 in the WTA rankings after the NBO.
The two players will face off in the semifinals, marking their second career meeting. Their previous encounter was in the Auckland final earlier this year, where Osaka won the first set 6-4 before retiring due to an abdominal injury.
The other semifinal will feature Canadian Victoria Mboko against No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan. Rybakina previously defeated Mboko in straight sets during the round of 16 at the Washington tournament two weeks prior.
The NBO has been marked by a high degree of volatility, with none of the top eight seeded players reaching the semifinal stage.
The tournament’s final will award the champion $752,275. Organizers have rescheduled the doubles final to Wednesday to allow players additional travel time to Cincinnati, Ohio, for the upcoming WTA 1000 tournament. The doubles final will feature the american duo of Coco Gauff and McCartney Kessler against Shuai Zhang of China and Taylor Townsend of the U.S.
Victoria Mboko has secured a main-draw spot at the Cincinnati Open due to her strong performance in Montreal, though her participation remains uncertain given the fast turnaround. The Cincinnati Open main draw begins Thursday,August 17th.
