Montreal, Canada – Australian Open champion Madison Keys showcased her resilience on Sunday at the WTA Canadian Open, saving two match points en route to a hard-fought three-set victory over Karolina Muchova. Meanwhile, former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka continued her impressive return to form, dominating Anastasija Sevastova to secure her spot in the quarterfinals. The tournament, also known as the National Bank Open, is setting the stage for thrilling encounters as top players vie for continental honors.
Keys’ Gritty Escape Act
Sixth-seeded Madison Keys emerged victorious with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 scoreline against the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova on a windy Sunday afternoon. The American demonstrated incredible composure, saving two match points on her own serve in the tenth game of the third set. She blasted a forehand winner on the first and benefited from a Muchova service return error on the second, showcasing her ability to perform under extreme pressure.
This marks Keys’ third victory of the season where she has saved a match point, underscoring her fighting spirit. Her win also saw her rebound from a one-set deficit, a pattern repeated from her previous match against Caty McNally. Keys, a runner-up at this event in Montreal back in 2016, has now matched Ana Ivanovic for the longest gap between quarterfinal appearances at the Canadian Open in the Open Era. Keys will next face the winner of the late Sunday match between 2025 Wimbledon champion and second-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland and Denmark’s Clara Tauson. (Note: Initial search results indicate Tauson upset Swiatek, so Keys will face Tauson).
Osaka’s Resurgent Form and Coaching Shake-Up
Naomi Osaka delivered a statement performance, needing no heroics as she blew past Anastasija Sevastova with a commanding 6-1, 6-0 victory in just 49 minutes. This dominant display marked the second-quickest tour-level win of her illustrious career, trailing only a 42-minute rout in 2016. It’s also the first time Osaka has conceded just one game or fewer in a completed match since her victory over Danielle Collins in Beijing in 2018.
Perhaps more significantly, this quarterfinal berth marks Osaka’s first appearance in the last eight of a WTA 1000-level event or Grand Slam since the Doha Open in February 2024. The four-time Grand Slam champion had a challenging 2023, missing the entire season due to the birth of her daughter, and has struggled for consistency since her return to the game a year ago. She notably fell in the first round of the French Open and the third round at Wimbledon this year, arriving in Montreal ranked 49th in the world.
However, Osaka has made a significant off-court move this week, announcing her split with coach Patrick Mouratoglou after less than a year. She has immediately begun working with Poland’s Tomasz Wiktorowski, former coach of world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, a decision that seems to be paying immediate dividends. Osaka’s next opponent in the quarterfinals will be Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, who defeated American Amanda Anisimova in her fourth-round match.
Discussion about this post