Osaka and Tauson power into Montreal semi-final; Fritz and Shelton set up all-American last 4 clash in Toronto

Naomi Osaka powered into her first National Bank Open semifinal, beating No. 10 seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday night.

- 

Osaka advanced to face No. 16 seed Clara Tauson, who eliminated sixth-seeded Madison Keys 6-1, 6-4 in the first quarterfinal of the night.

Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion who reached No. 1 in the rankings, continued her best performance in a WTA 1000 tournament since reaching the final in Miami in 2022. She stepped away from tennis for 15 months toward the end of that season and had daughter Shai in July 2023.

The native of Japan is seeking her eighth career title and her first since the 2021 Australian Open.

"I'm really happy. I'm also really excited," Osaka said. "After Wimbledon (a third-round loss), I was really disappointed, and then I just kind of let go of my expectations. And now we're here.

"I find it kind of ironic, but I'm happy about it."

Osaka got to the final of the ASB Classic final in Auckland to begin this season and faced Tauson but had to retire due to an abdominal injury after winning the first set 6-4.