Naomi Osaka secures WTA feat for the first time in five years after semifinal victory in Montreal

Naomi Osaka has booked her place in the Canadian Open final after defeating Clara Tauson in straight sets.

Osaka beat Tauson 6-2, 7-6 to advance to the championship match in Montreal, where she will face 18-year-old Victoria Mboko.

The Japanese star, who parted ways with former coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently, looks to be back to her very best.

With her triumph over the Norwegian, Osaka has completed a feat on the WTA Tour for the first time in five years.

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Naomi Osaka ends five-year-long wait for WTA accomplishment

The four-time Grand Slam champion had her best years on tour from 2018 to 2021, where she clinched two Australian Open titles and two US Open crowns.

Since then, however, Osaka has struggled to reach her form of old and has crashed out in the early stages of 12 consecutive majors.

That form appears to be showing once again in Canada, and she has now reached multiple tour-level finals for the first time since 2020.

She made the final of both the Cincinnati Open and the US Open that year, and has reached the last stages in both Auckland and Montreal this season.

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Naomi Osaka’s final opponent at the Canadian Open

Osaka’s last hurdle at the Canadian Open won’t be an easy one to clear, pitted against Mboko, who has taken the tennis world by storm recently.

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The teenager has earned statement victories over first seed Coco Gauff and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to advance to the final.

Mboko, who has never faced Osaka, is having a breakout season in 2025 and has enjoyed some impressive runs at big tournaments.

Now, she will fight for the first WTA title of her career in front of a home crowd.

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