Despite Montreal Loss, Naomi Osaka's Comeback Surges Forward

Originally posted on Serve on SI | By Megha Gupta | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 7:40 AM ET

Naomi Osaka had a run to remember in Montreal.

The four-time Grand Slam champion made her way back into a tour-level final. Osaka defeated 16th seed Clara Tauson 6-2, 7-6 (9) on Wednesday night to reach the finals, her first since New Zealand earlier this year and her first Masters 1000 final since the 2022 Miami Open.

Osaka outplayed Tauson in a display of dominance that's become the norm for her in Montreal. She easily took the first set, holding her serve while breaking Tauson twice. Tauson clawed her way back in the second set from 2-4 down, breaking Osaka after losing two break points and holding onto her serve at love to tie at 4 games apiece.

The two battled it out in a nail-biting tiebreaker that Osaka eventually won after Tauson hit a forehand into the net following Osaka's serve at 8-7. With the win, Osaka is the first Japanese player to reach the Canadian final in the Open Era.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka)

"I'm just going to be a negative human being today, I'm so sorry," Osaka said in her post-match press conference. "I have nothing positive to say about myself, which is something I'm working on."

Despite the struggles, the Japanese tennis star has not given up. She won five of her seven matches in Montreal in straight sets, including two matches against Jelena Ostapenko and Elina Svitolina, and took out three seeded players to reach the finals.

Osaka was a point away from elimination at the hands of Liudmila Samsonova in the second round, down 4-6, 4-5 at 15-40. She saved both match points, the second one off a cross-court forehand winner. It was the comeback of all comebacks for Osaka at this point in her return to tour, going on to win the second set in a match tiebreak before claiming the match with a 6-3 win in the third set.

As a reward, she'll be seeded at the upcoming US Open, her first Grand Slam seed in over three years since she was seeded 13th at the 2022 Australian Open.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by WTA (@wta)

"I've played a lot of tough opponents, so I'm really grateful for that," Osaka said after her semifinal win. "I know that I said that I wouldn't expect too much from myself now. I kind of have to enjoy the journey, so it's kind of funny that I'm here right now."

Unfortunately, Osaka's hot streak came to an end when she lost to teenage phenom Victoria Mboko in the tournament finals: 6-2, 4-6, 1-6.

Mboko came back from a set down against Elena Rybakina in the semifinals, forcing the 2022 Wimbledon champion into a decider and saving match point to win the match in a third set tiebreak.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by WTA (@wta)

The Canadian is playing the tournament of her life after a string of firsts for her career this past summer. Mboko upset No. 1 seed Coco Gauff in the round of 16 in straight sets for the biggest win of her career before going on to defeat Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in straight sets during the quarter-finals.

Mboko, who has won 52 matches on tour this season, played in her first tour-level in the seventh main draw of her young career. Osaka played her 13th, fighting for her third Masters and her first title since the 2021 Australian Open.