Naomi Osaka's mometum reaches new heights, drops just one game to reach first WTA 1000 quarters in two years

Naomi Osaka secured a convincing victory against Anastasija Sevastova and reached a WTA 1000 quarterfinal for the first time in over two years, since she reached the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open—falling to Karolina Pliskova. Osaka played a nearly perfect match, sealing a remarkable 6-1, 6-0 win in just 50 minutes.

This time, the Japanese player faced a more than unexpected opponent for these rounds: the Latvian Sevastova, world No. 386, who had previously surprised Magda Linette (25th seed) and two-time defending champion Jessica Pegula (3rd seed).

Osaka had an impressive performance from the serve and was especially effective when she had opportunities on the return. In the match, she won 72% of her service points and 71% of her return points, also converting every one of the five break opportunities she had throughout the match.

Osaka's clinical performance to reach quarterfinals

Sevastova started by putting pressure on Osaka, getting a break point in the first game. The Latvian then won her first service game, but it was the only game in which she managed to hold serve. From there, Osaka dominated the set, getting two consecutive breaks and comfortably winning her service games. Osaka quickly found her rhythm and saved two more break points before finishing the set 6-1 in 29 minutes.

In the second set, things did not change for Sevastova, and Osaka knew how to take advantage of the momentum. The Japanese player got three consecutive breaks, in which Sevastova only managed to win three points on her serve. In addition, Osaka only gave up one point on her serve in a set that was almost perfect. In fact, the four-time Grand Slam champion won an incredible 86% of the points played.

"For me I had a solid plan coming in here. It just happened to work out really well," Osaka commented after the match. "I don’t know, I haven’t been here in a while. I just think I’m really grateful. Thank you guys for coming out. I hope you enjoy all the tennis today."

Match Statistics Osaka vs. Sevastova

Osaka’s Comeback Journey Continues

The Japanese player is back in a WTA 1000 quarterfinal after three years. Osaka had last reached the Round of 8 at the Qatar Open in 2024, falling to former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova. Osaka continues to rise in the rankings and is guaranteed to reach world No. 34, her best ranking since February 2022.

She is still waiting to find out her next opponent, who will be the winner between 5th seed Amanda Anisimova and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. Osaka will look to return to the semifinals of a WTA 1000, something she last achieved at the 2022 Miami Open, where she reached the final and lost to Iga Swiatek.

This is the first time in her career that Osaka has reached the Canadian Open quarterfinals. She remains with a chance to arrive at the US Open as a seeded player if she manages to get another victory, which would also put her back in the top 30.