Quarterfinals in Montreal did not bring any spectacularly thrilling battles, as none of them went the full distance of three sets. Despite the straightforward nature of these matches, the line-up of semifinalists is genuinely intriguing. Elena Rybakina is the highest remaining seed (9th), with all top contenders having been eliminated earlier in the week. This does not mean the level of play was low – all four semifinalists have shown strong form throughout the WTA 1000 National Bank Open so far. Let’s take a look at the preview of today’s semifinals.
Rybakina advances with ease – Mboko continues dream run
Elena Rybakina faced some tough tests on her way to the quarterfinals, but this latest match didn’t cost her much energy. The Kazakh had been playing solid tennis from the beginning, lethal on serve, while her opponent struggled with an apparent arm injury. The Ukrainian had invested a lot of effort to reach the quarterfinals through exhausting three-set battles, but wasn’t fit enough to seriously challenge Rybakina in this round.
Victoria Mboko will be Rybakina’s opponent in the semifinals – the 18-year-old Canadian continues her fairytale run after winning the underdogs' match in the quarterfinals against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. It was another straight-sets win, with a comprehensive performance from the teenager, who is now guaranteed to break into the WTA top 50. Mboko had already delivered one of the tournament’s biggest upsets by eliminating top seed Coco Gauff earlier in the week, and will need another surprise to complete her story with a spot in the final.
As the comparison radar shows, Mboko can pose a serious threat – she’s aggressive and effective on return, and doesn’t lag far behind her more experienced opponent in serving stats, with only a 3–4% deficit in key categories.
Osaka dominates again – showdown with Tauson next
Naomi Osaka is showing her best tennis in years in Montreal, claiming another confident and one-sided victory – 6-2 6-2 – over Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals. The Ukrainian, who has had a very solid season, had no answer for Osaka’s hard and clean ball-striking. The former world number one is firmly back in contention, and with this run, she’s expected to re-enter the rankings in a range that guarantees US Open seeding.
Before that, she’ll face Clara Tauson, who has taken out two current Grand Slam champions in back-to-back matches. After upsetting Iga Swiatek, the Dane followed up with a dominant win over Madison Keys. The American didn’t look at her best in Canada, reaching the quarterfinals through messy three-set battles, while Tauson delivered another clean and focused performance to earn her second WTA 1000 semifinal appearance this year.
This will be an intriguing match between two players with similar gamestyles, though Osaka appears to have the edge in serving and attacking metrics.
