Naomi Osaka def. (No. 16) Clara Tauson 6-2, 7-6 (7)
Former world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka advanced to her first WTA 1000 final since 2022 with a straight-sets win over 16th-seeded Clara Tauson on Wednesday night. The Japanese star looked sharp from the baseline, using her trademark power and depth off both sides of the court to dictate play and win four straight games en route to claiming the first set 6-2.
The second set was much more competitive. After Osaka went up 4-2, Tauson fought her way back to level the set at 4-4, applying pressure with aggressive shot-making and testing Osaka’s consistency. Despite earning seven break points across the match, Tauson could only convert two. In a tense tiebreak, Osaka lost leads of 3-1 and 4-2, but managed to save two set points at 4-6 before closing it out 9-7, as Tauson netted a forehand on match point.
With the win, Osaka returns to the top 30 for the first time since coming back from maternity leave in early 2024 and now has a chance to win her third career WTA 1000 title, having previously winning at Indian Wells in 2018 and Beijing in 2019. She will face rising Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in Thursday night’s final.
Victoria Mboko def. (No. 9) Elena Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4)
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko pulled off the biggest win of her career on Wednesday night, stunning world No. 9 and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in a three-set comeback to reach the final of the National Bank Open. The 17-year-old struggled early, dropping all three of her service games in the opening set and struggled on return, as Rybakina cruised through the first set 6-1.
Despite the rocky start, Mboko began to find her rhythm in the second set, building leads of 3-0 and 5-3 before Rybakina fought back to level things at 5-all. The Canadian stayed composed under pressure, hustling to win the final two games and steal the second set 7-5. She carried that momentum into the decider, showcasing her fighting spirit by recovering from deficits of 2-4, 3-5, and even 5-6, with Rybakina serving for the match to win the match.
Ranked No. 85 in the world, Mboko won the final-set tiebreak 7-4 to secure a win in front of her home crowd. She now has a chance to become just the third Canadian to win the home tournament in the Open Era, following Faye Urban (1969) and Bianca Andreescu (2019). She will face Naomi Osaka in Thursday night’s final with her first WTA title on the line.
