Osaka and Gauff advance to Canadian Open quarterfinals

Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff have progressed to the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open in Toronto, joining world number two Elena Rybakina in the final eight. The tournament continues to shape up as a pivotal moment for the top contenders, with Osaka and Rybakina set to face each other in a historic first meeting.

Rybakina endured a tense encounter against Liudmila Samsonova, recovering from a 0-3 deficit and two breaks down in the final set to win 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. The victory sets up a quarterfinal match against Osaka, who has never previously faced the Kazakh player. Osaka advanced in straight sets, defeating home favourite Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-4 in 82 minutes. The Japanese star, currently ranked 13th, broke in the seventh game of each set to secure her place.

Gauff, ranked fourth, maintained her dominance by defeating Russian teenage qualifier Alina Korneeva 6-3, 6-1. The American has not dropped a set in the tournament to date, marking her first time reaching the last eight in Canada since 2023. Gauff expressed pride in her recent performances, noting that while she prefers to finish matches quickly, she is prepared for longer contests if necessary.

Belinda Bencic also advanced to the quarterfinals, where she will face Gauff. The 14th-ranked Swiss player defeated 20th-ranked Alexandra Eala 6-4, 6-0 in 73 minutes. Bencic connected on 64.4 percent of her first serves and won 72.4 percent of those points, extending her winning streak against left-handed opponents to 10 matches. She attributed her success partly to facing another left-hander, Taylor Townsend, in the previous round.

Eala, who won her first WTA title in Washington last Monday, was unable to overcome Bencic’s consistency. The quarterfinal matchups now feature Rybakina against Osaka and Gauff against Bencic, with all players aiming to maintain their momentum in the Canadian Open.