MONTREAL: Four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka reached the semi-finals of the Canadian Open for the first time after beating Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2 in the quarters on Tuesday, while Ben Shelton eliminated Alex de Minaur on the men’s side.
It marks Osaka’s first WTA 1000 semi-final since Miami in 2022, as the Japanese former world number one needed just over an hour to secure victory over the 10th seeded Svitolina.
Osaka capitalised on Svitolina’s unforced errors to break twice and move within a game of taking the first set. Despite dropping serve while Svitolina threatened to shift the momentum, Osaka held her nerve, broke back and closed out the opener.
The second set was more closely contested, but Osaka converted two more break points to seal the win in Montreal.
The 27-year-old will next face Danish 16th seed Clara Tauson, who secured her second consecutive win over a top 10 opponent by defeating American sixth seed Madison Keys 6-1, 6-4 to reach the semis having previously beaten six-times major winner Iga Swiatek.
“I think for me, I’m just having a lot of fun playing and I’m really glad to be here,” Osaka said.
“She’s (Tauson) really tough. I played her in Auckland this year and I had to stop halfway because I was injured. So, I’m really excited that I’m healthy and I hope that it’s a good match for everyone that comes and watches.”
Tauson was clinical in the opening set against Keys, converting both of her break point opportunities and serving it out in just over half an hour.
Australian Open champion Keys dropped serve again early in the second, leaving the 22-year-old Tauson on course for just the second WTA 1000 semi of her career.
Tauson dedicated her victory to her late grandfather, who died on Sunday as the Dane was dispatching Swiatek.
“Two days ago, my grandfather unfortunately passed away so I really wanted to win for him today,” a tearful Tauson said after beating US sixth seed Keys. “I was told the day after I beat Iga so I really wanted to come out and show my best tennis for him. Hopefully he’s watching.”
In the men’s tournament in Toronto, American second seed Taylor Fritz advanced to the semis with a 6-3, 7-6(7/4) victory over Russian sixth seed Andrey Rublev.
Wimbledon semi-finalist Fritz got off to a blistering start, winning six straight points and breaking his opponent’s serve in his first return game.
The 27-year-old maintained his momentum behind a dominant service performance and appeared poised to close out the match while serving at 5-4 in the second set.
Rublev, however, mounted a comeback, saving a match point and converting his fourth break point to level the set before forcing a tiebreak, where Fritz finally secured the win.
“That whole game was so shaky for me,” Fritz said.
“It’s weird because he was holding easy, I was holding easy. It felt so like calm and chill and all of a sudden I’m serving to be in the semis, the pressure of the game came out of nowhere.
“There’s no way to sugarcoat it, it was a tight game. My brain kind of turned off. The only thing you can do is come back and win the set. I would be a lot more upset about what happened in the game if I lose the match. Winning makes it feel not as bad.”
Next up for Fritz is compatriot and fourth seed Shelton, who beat Australian ninth seed De Minaur 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first career Masters 1000 semi-final.
Shelton laid down 11 aces in his 91-minute victory and dominated on rallies longer than nine shots. The result ended a seven-match win streak for last week’s Washington champion de Minaur.
“I’m really happy with that performance. It showed mental toughness from start to finish,” Shelton said. “This win gives me a lot of confidence, I’m excited about the semi-final.
“People often just see me as a server, not much of a grinder, but when I go into lockdown mode and put a lot of balls onto the court, it surprises guys sometimes. Winning longer rallies is all part of my evolution.”
Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2025
