Osaka, with new coach, saves match points to beat 2023 NBO finalist

That wasn’t the case for Naomi Osaka at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers on Wednesday afternoon.

“I definitely didn’t come here to go to the airport,” Osaka laughed in a chat with nationalbankopen.com. “I was trying to think of solutions the entire time.”

She found them in the nick of time in Montreal against a surging and familiar opponent, Liudmila Samsonova.

Samsonova possesses one of the most potent serves in tennis, so circumstances favoured the recent Wimbledon quarter-finalist – and NBO finalist when the women’s event was last held in Montreal in 2023 – as she stepped to the service line leading 6-4, 5-4, 40-15.

But Osaka escaped courtesy of a Samsonova forehand that sailed long and a forehand winner after the latter’s drop shot landed far too deep in the court.

The job wasn’t done, though, as Osaka then had to rally from 5-2 down in the second-set tiebreaker.

Ultimately, Osaka held off Samsonova in the final set to prevail 4-6, 7-6 (8), 6-3. Samsonova had won when the pair faced off on German grass in June, which proved to be the precursor to her best Grand Slam result at the All England Club.

It wasn't the first time Osaka saved match points in her career. Memorably, she fought off two against Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round at the 2021 Australian Open on the way to collecting her fourth Grand Slam.

A lot happened since then. Osaka took a mental health break and in July 2023, gave birth to daughter Shai, who isn’t with her in Montreal.

Someone who is? New coach Tomasz Wiktorowski after Osaka parted company with Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’ longtime former coach.

Wiktorowski formerly worked with Iga Swiatek and Grand Slam finalist Agnieszka Radwanska.

If things go well, he’ll be with Osaka in Cincinnati in August and at the US Open.

“I’m kind of like a go with the flow type of person,” said Osaka. “I just wanted someone that knows the game a lot. And I just wanted to see how our personalities meshed. This is the first match that he’s here, the first tournament, so I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.”

Osaka tallied 26 winners and made just 16 unforced errors in the match. Her power baseline game usually stands out when she thrives, but she defended, too, when needed, against Samsonova.

She earned herself a match point when she scurried and hit a backhand passing shot that forced Samsonova to hit up on the volley. Osaka chased it down and deposited a forehand winner, to the delight of the 27-year-old and the fans at Centre Court.

“I just think it’s an added bonus to my game,” said Osaka, now 3-0 on hard courts against Samsonova. “It’s definitely really cool, and it makes my opponents think a lot because I do feel like they think maybe they should hit a winner because if they don’t, I will.”

While in Montreal, Osaka hasn’t had much time to check out the city. That might happen, though. But she was aware of Montreal’s substantial Haitian population, the highest in Canada.

Osaka’s father, Leonard, hails from Haiti.

“I know there’s a big Haitian population here so I’m really happy, and I hope that I’m able to walk around in one of my off days,” added Osaka, who next meets fellow big hitter and Major champion Jelena Ostapenko. 

The heavens opened up minutes after Osaka’s win, a contrast to the sunshine of the first three days. After a brief delay, Swiatek, fresh off her surprising Wimbledon crown (yes, she was surprised), beat Chinese qualifier Guo Hanyu 6-3, 6-1. 

Photo: Amélie Caron 2