Naomi Osaka is off to the final at the National Bank Open in Montreal, marking her first appearance in a WTA 1000 final since 2022.

She took down world No. 19 Clara Tauson in straight sets (6-2, 7-6) in her semifinal match Wednesday night, setting up a highly anticipated final with 18-year-old Canadian sensation Victoria Mboko Thursday evening. Osaka ousted Tauson in a second-set tiebreak after she trailed 3-0 to officially announce her triumphant return.

The Canadian Open final will be her first WTA 1000 final since the '22 Miami Open where she fell to this year's Wimbeldon champ Iga Świątek. Osaka's last WTA 1000 win came at the China Open in '19, however she did win the U.S. Open in '20 and the Australian Open in '21. She has won both those major events twice for a total of four career major wins.

She took a hiatus in '23 as she was expecting her first child before making her return to the courts the next year. She's currently the WTA world No. 49, but will see that ranking rise through the roof after her run in Montreal, right in time for the U.S. Open which begins at the end of August. She was ranked No. 1 in the world for 25 weeks total, all in '19.

The Canadian Open is shaping up to see an incredible final between Osaka and Mboko, two players who have made extraordinary runs in their own right through the tournament.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Naomi Osaka Announces Triumphant Return With Run to Canadian Open Final.

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