WTA Montreal Semifinal Prediction: Naomi Osaka vs Clara Tauson

Naomi Osaka will meet Clara Tauson in the second semifinal at the WTA National Bank Open in Montreal. The two women’s clash earlier this year in the Auckland final ended in retirement after Osaka’s unfortunate injury. The first women’s semifinal pits Elena Rybakina up against young Canadian wild card Victoria Mboko. Who will reach the Montreal final?

WTA Montreal Semifinal Prediction

Naomi Osaka vs Clara Tauson

Head-to-head: Tauson 1-0 Osaka

Naomi Osaka’s bold decision to appoint Tomasz Wiktorowski as her new coach has paid off instantly. Osaka has clearly found a new level in her march to her first big semifinal at this level since she came back from maternity leave. The fortnight has been a rollercoaster with Osaka winning all but one of her five matches in straight sets. Her major escape was that second-round epic against Liudmila Samsonova, where she saved three match points. She has since lost 11 games in three matches. That includes one of the shortest matches of the season when Osaka demolished Anastasija Sevastova 6-1 6-0 in just 49 minutes.

Clara Tauson authored one of the shocks of the tournament by downing Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek to reach her second WTA 1000 semifinal of the season. Tauson is coming off a flawless quarterfinal win against Australian Open Madison Keys, where she lost only four games.

Osaka endured heartbreak when they played in Auckland back in January. The Japanese star took the first set in her first final as a mother, but an abdominal injury prevented her from completing the match. She watched as Tauson lifted her third career title. The Dane has gone to achieve a Top 20 ranking for the first time this season after posting a career-best 32 wins. While Tauson’s game remains dangerous and capable of unsettling Osaka, the former World No. 1 appears to have rediscovered her identity on the court. And in such a short space of time, Wiktorowski has brought that mental stability and court presence that Osaka struggled with in the first half of the season.
Prediction: Osaka in 3