Naomi Osaka clinched her fifth victory over a Top 20 player since returning from maternity leave in the 2024 season by defeating Ons Jabeur, seeded ninth, with a score of 6-3 6-1 at the National Bank Open in Toronto. Despite only landing 46% of her first serves, the hard-court specialist never faced a break point against the three-time Grand Slam runner-up.
“Everyone knows I really love hard courts. I wasn’t thinking too much. It was very instinctual,” Osaka said after the first-round match. “Honestly, when I play the best players, like Ons, I tend to play better.”
Although Osaka’s first-serve percentage was below par, Jabeur’s was even lower at 36%, and she was broken four times by Osaka. Jabeur had withdrawn from the Mubadala Citi DC Open last week due to a shoulder issue.
Osaka now leads their head-to-head 2-0, having also beaten Jabeur in straight sets at the 2021 Australian Open.
This win marks Osaka’s first victory in Canada since 2019 when she reached the quarterfinals and was defeated by Serena Williams at the same tournament, then known as the Rogers Cup.
In the second round, the 95th-ranked Osaka will face Elise Mertens from Belgium. Osaka leads their head-to-head record 4-2, winning their last meeting on the grass courts of ‘s-Hertogenbosch in June, while Mertens emerged victorious over Osaka at Indian Wells in March. (via WTA)
