Naomi Osaka Refuses to Undermine Elena Rybakina Ahead of National Bank Open Clash

Naomi Osaka has been on a roll at the National Bank Open. She has racked up three victories in the tournament and has yet to drop a set. But her biggest test of the event so far will come in the next round against Elena Rybakina. Having never faced the Kazakh in a tour-level match before, Osaka is well aware that it can be quite a tough match.

“I mean, some hard hitting. She’s an incredible player,” she said during her post-match interview. “She won the Australian Open this year. I’m just really excited to play her, because I have never played her. It’s good to get that information in.”

Unlike Osaka, Rybakina has looked a bit shaky at times in the tournament. She has dropped two sets on her way to the quarterfinals. The World No. 2 had a tough outing against Daria Kasatkina in the first round and had to work incredibly hard in the narrow 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory.

She followed that up with a convincing 6-2, 7-5 win over Ann Li before being involved in another evenly matched contest against Liudmila Samsonova. Rybakina took the first set before her opponent leveled the match by clinching the second. The Kazakh eventually edged the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 after breaking Samsonova’s serve on seven occasions.

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In comparison, Osaka has had quite a smooth path to the quarterfinals. She first recorded a one-sided 6-2, 6-4 victory over Panna Udvardy. The Japanese then delivered an even better performance against Elise Mertens in the second round by racking up a 6-1, 6-2 win. Osaka’s latest triumph came against local hero Leylah Fernandez, who provided a good challenge, but eventually fell to a 6-4, 6-4 defeat.

Osaka may as well have the edge over Rybakina heading into their maiden clash on the Tour. She had picked up her form in the grass swing and has gone from strength to strength since then. The 28-year-old had unexpectedly reached the final of the Bad Homburg Open after four consecutive wins. Though she was forced to retire due to fitness concerns in the final, handing the title to Karolina Muchova, it was still quite an impressive showing.

She then had a career-best run at Wimbledon and reached the quarterfinals. Osaka defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6 in the process, in what was one of her best performances of the season. She began her hard-court season by reaching the semifinals of the Citi Open and has now continued her superb form in Toronto.

On the other hand, this is Rybakina’s first tournament since her third-round exit at Wimbledon. She had a forgettable grass swing. Though hard courts are Rybakina’s favorite surface, she just hasn’t been able to make deep runs in tournaments since the Stuttgart Open in April, where she had triumphed after defeating players like Mirra Andreeva and Karolina Muchova.

Will Osaka continue her brilliant run in the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open, or will Rybakina get the better of her and take the lead in the H2H record? We will have to wait and see.

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