Osaka Driven By US Open Seeding

Getting better draw at next Major motivates Japanese to reach last four in Montreal

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MONTREAL – Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka was having "a lot of fun" as she advanced to the semi-finals of the WTA Canadian Open on Aug 5 with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over 10th seed Elina Svitolina.

The Japanese, chasing her first WTA Tour-level title since the 2021 Australian Open, needed only 68 minutes to dispatch the Ukrainian and book a semi-final with Danish 16th seed Clara Tauson, who stunned reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-1, 6-4.

"I'm just having a lot of fun playing. I'm glad to be here," said Osaka, who defeated Svitolina for the fifth time in eight matches to reach the Canadian Open last four for the first time in her career.

"I think I'll be seeded in the US Open because I won my match. That was a really good goal for me. I'm just really excited."

Tauson, meanwhile, dedicated her victory to her late grandfather, who died on Aug 3 as the Dane was dispatching Polish second seed Iga Swiatek, who won her sixth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July.