Naomi Osaka says what is ‘weird’ about the feeling she has after reaching the Canadian Open quarterfinals

Naomi Osaka has continued her run at the Canadian Open to reach her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in three years.

Osaka split with Patrick Mouratoglou after losing to Emma Raducanu at the Washington Open.

As she looks to find a new coach to fill the vacancy, Osaka has been joined by Iga Swiatek’s former coach in Montreal.

This partnership has got off to a positive start at the Canadian Open, but Osaka has admitted she felt a bit ‘weird’ after reaching the quarterfinals.

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What Naomi Osaka found weird about reaching the Canadian Open quarterfinals

Osaka saved three match points in her second round match at the Canadian Open against Liudmila Samsonova, but her latest win in Montreal was much more emphatic.

The former world number one beat Anastasija Sevastova, 6-1 6-0, to reach the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open for the first time since 2019.

While this is an encouraging sign for Osaka, she suggested in her post-match press conference that she does not have the same desire for results as she did before and instead is trying to enjoy the process more.

“Honestly, I am allowing myself to enjoy it, and I think for me it’s kind of ironic just because I don’t find myself it’s really hard to describe, but I don’t want it as bad, which is kind of weird to say,” explained Osaka.

“I’m kind of just allowing myself to I guess see what the results of my practicing is and, like, all that other jazz. I’m happy with where my tennis will take me no matter what happens.”

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Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion, but has not won a major title since the 2021 Australian Open.

She later revealed in her press conference that she still has goals to add to her major tally, but is trying to take a more step-by-step process.

“It’s weird. I talked to my dad, and he said, like, Just being healthy and happy is a form of success,” said Osaka. “I agree with that, but I want more.

“But yeah, I mean, definitely, of course I would want to win Slams, of course I would want to be in the top 10, but I think I need to pace myself and go for the mini goals, and they’ll eventually turn into the big goals.

“Yeah, I think being in the quarterfinals here is a step to hopefully getting to the semis and the finals, so I’ll try to treat it more like that.”

Naomi Osaka gets her fastest WTA win in nine years

Osaka will certainly have enjoyed her victory over Sevastova, dropping just one game and winning in just 49 minutes.

This dominant performance has produced Osaka’s most dominant win since 2016, when she was just 18 years old.

At the Brazil Tennis Cup in Florianopolis, Osaka beat Ana Sofia Sanchez in just 42 minutes.

Osaka will be hoping to continue her dominant form when she plays her Canadian Open quarterfinal against 10th seed Elina Svitolina.

This will be an eighth meeting between Osaka and Svitolina, with the former leading the head-to-head with four victories.

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