Naomi Osaka defeated Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets at the National Bank Open in Montreal to seal a place in the fourth round.
Osaka took an hour and 12 minutes to beat the Latvian, in an accomplished performance where she asserted herself both on and off serve.
The four-time Grand Slam champion, who is playing her first tournament with new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, will now face Ostapenko’s compatriot Anastasija Sevastova after she defeated third seed Jessica Pegula.
Ostapenko, whom Osaka has previously referred to as her “favourite player” committed 37 unforced errors, which proved pivotal on Centre Court.
Osaka, though, believes her strong serving – which saw her win 71 per cent of her first serve points – was the key factor in deciding the outcome.
Naomi Osaka celebrates winning a point in Montreal (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
“Granted, she broke me a couple times,” said Osaka. “But she’s a really good returner, so I can’t take that personally. I went in there knowing she’s a great player, and if I give her a chance she’s going to hit a winner on me, so I just tried to keep my pace and stay as solid as I could.”
Osaka could be set for a quarter-final meeting with Emma Raducanu, if the Brit can win her next two matches – starting with the clash against Amanda Anisimova in the early hours of Saturday morning.
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Watch highlights of the WTA match between Jessica Pegula and Anastasija Sevastova at the National Bank Open
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