Danish 16th seed Clara Tauson pulled off a major upset at the WTA Canadian Open on Tuesday, defeating reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-1, 6-4 to storm into the semi-finals.
Tauson, 22, was in control from the start, dominating the opening set and capitalizing on a double fault by Keys to break early in the second. The Dane held steady throughout, winning 12 of 19 points on her second serve and never facing a break point in the final set. She closed the match in just 70 minutes, holding serve at love to seal the win.
Seeds Continue to Fall in Montreal
With Keys’ exit, the tournament has now lost all of its top five seeds and seven of the top 10 before even reaching the quarter-final stage—highlighting just how open this year’s draw has become.
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Tauson’s Semi-Final Opponent: Osaka or Svitolina
Up next, Tauson will face the winner of the later match between four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and Ukraine’s 10th seed, Elina Svitolina. While Tauson’s only previous meeting with Osaka ended in victory after the Japanese player retired from the Auckland Open final earlier this year, she holds a 2-0 head-to-head advantage against Svitolina.
Those wins came in tight three-set battles—first on clay in Portugal in 2023, and then in a dramatic third-set tiebreaker in Dubai just six months ago.
Second WTA 1000 Final in Sight
This victory over Keys continues a strong campaign for Tauson, who also ousted Polish second seed Iga Swiatek in the fourth round. She now stands one win away from reaching her second WTA 1000 final, having finished runner-up at Dubai earlier this season after falling to Mirra Andreeva.
Tauson already owns three WTA titles—Lyon and Luxembourg (2021) and Auckland (2025)—and is now aiming for her fourth.
Rybakina vs Mboko Set for Second Semi
In the other semi-final, 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will face 18-year-old Canadian breakthrough star Victoria Mboko. Rybakina leads their head-to-head 1-0, having beaten Mboko 6-3, 7-5 last month in Washington.
With a mix of upsets and rising stars shaking up the draw, the Canadian Open is proving to be a thrilling prelude to the upcoming US Open. Tauson’s red-hot form and the return of names like Osaka and Rybakina promise a gripping finish to the Montreal showdown.
