Right before the Canadian Open curtain rose, Naomi Osaka bid farewell to coach Patrick Mouratoglou with a heartfelt note: “Merci Patrick. It was such a great experience learning from you. Wishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people I’ve ever met and I’m sure I’ll see you around.” That chapter ended after a crushing DC Open loss to Emma Raducanu in the R16, a blow that sparked a shift. But now, the tide’s turned. In a fierce resurgence, Osaka roars back in Canada, making an honest admission as she claims a major feat just days after the split.

Blink, and you missed a masterclass. Naomi Osaka needed just 49 minutes to storm into the Canadian Open quarterfinals, matching her best WTA 1000 result since returning from maternity leave. The former World No. 1 allowed just one game in a ruthless 6-1, 6-0 demolition of Anastasija Sevastova at the Omnium Banque Nationale in Montreal. That performance marked the second-fastest win of her career, just behind her 42-minute victory over Ana Sofia Sánchez back in 2016 in Brazil.

Her win over Sevastova was not just about dominance; it was clinical, cold-blooded, and full of intent. It also marked a return to the quarterfinals in Canada for the first time since 2019, when she fell to Serena Williams. 

After Sunday’s annihilation, Osaka offered a moment of honesty and grace, sharing on-court, “I had a solid plan coming in here, and it just happened to work out pretty well.”

Later, she let her gratitude shine through. When asked about her mindset heading toward the business end of the tournament, she reflected, “I haven’t been here in a while, but, I just think I’m really grateful and, thank you guys for coming out and I hope that you enjoy all the tennis, I hope you enjoy the rest of the tennis for today.” That’s the voice of a warrior who’s been through storms, and now, she’s playing with freedom.

Since her return to tennis in 2023 after the birth of her daughter in 2022, Osaka had only once reached a WTA 1000 quarterfinal, at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha. This latest victory marked her 20th match win of 2025, equaling her entire win total from the 2024 season. With momentum swelling and her game back in full throttle, she’s starting to look dangerous again.

Her opponent, Sevastova, once ranked No. 11, had been climbing her own hill after maternity leave and a knee injury. Despite upsetting Jessica Pegula in the third round, the Latvian couldn’t replicate that magic. Osaka broke her five times in six return games and held serve throughout, leaving no room for a comeback. It was swift, sharp, and stunning.

But the road gets harder from here. Awaiting Osaka in the quarters will be the battle-hardened No. 10 seed Elina Svitolina. Either way, it’s a step closer to her first WTA 1000 semifinal since she reached the final at Miami in 2022.

Now unbeaten at 4-0 under new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, whom she hired after officially parting ways with Patrick Mouratoglou just last weekend, Osaka’s story is turning into a comeback for the ages. And as a recent headline around her comments on Serena Williams and that infamous US Open final resurfaces, Naomi Osaka is finally taking back her own narrative, point by point, win by win.

Naomi Osaka speaks out on Serena Williams controversy

Before the 2018 US Open final, Naomi Osaka spoke from the heart about what it meant to face her idol. She and her sister had once sat high in the stands, watching Serena Williams with awe, never close enough for an autograph, but soaking in every moment. “I don’t know if anybody knows this, but Serena is my favorite player. Just plasying against her is a dream for me,” Osaka admitted.

Though they had already crossed paths at the 2018 Miami Open, where Osaka claimed a 6-3, 6-2 win, meeting Serena in a Grand Slam final felt surreal. But what should’ve been a fairytale for the 20-year-old Japanese star was marred by controversy. Williams was hit with multiple code violations, including a game penalty, after clashing with umpire Carlos Ramos. The boos rained down, not just during the match, but again when Osaka stood at center stage, trophy in hand, tears falling. “I’m sorry it had to end like this,” she said, holding back heartbreak on the biggest night of her life.

Recently, in Jay Shetty’s podcast, Osaka revisited that night, offering a raw recollection. “I just have this very vivid memory of winning, going back to my hotel, and the US Open is special because you kind of get back to your hotel if you have a night match at like 1:00 am or something like that. Doing treatment because I was going to play a tournament in Tokyo right after that, and I was just reading comments of people saying that I didn’t deserve to win or like I didn’t win fairly, and I don’t know, it just really sucked.” What should’ve been joy turned into confusion and self-doubt.

But there was a light in the storm. Serena Williams, despite her own frustrations, reached out. “She said, like, she was proud of me and that I should know that the crowd wasn’t booing at me,” Osaka recalled on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It gave her solace when she needed it most.

Now, with a semifinal spot at the Canadian Masters within reach, can she overcome the Ukrainian challenge and book her place in the final four?