Naomi Osaka wins the way a boxer does, on the first punch. The serve is one of the biggest in the women's game and the groundstrokes are flat and heavy, so points end early. Born to a Haitian father and a Japanese mother, raised in the United States, she announced herself at 20 by beating Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open final, Japan's first Grand Slam singles champion. She reached world No. 1 in January 2019, the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles.
All 4 of her Grand Slam titles came on hard courts, two US Opens and two Australian Opens, the same first-strike tennis that troubled Karolina Pliskova and Angelique Kerber. The other story is quieter. She withdrew from the 2021 French Open and spoke openly about depression, becoming one of sport's most visible voices on mental health, then came back after the birth of her daughter in 2023. The power is still there. The question is how far it carries a returning champion.
Two. That is how many Grand Slam titles Elena Rybakina has won in 2026. She beat top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 5-7 6-2 in the US Open final for her third career major, after Wimbledon in 2022 and this year's Australian Open, and it means every Grand Slam final the pair have played in 2026 has gone Rybakina's way.
Match taleOne. That is how many titles Iga Swiatek has won in 2026, and Toronto is it, her first since Seoul last year. She beat Elena Rybakina, the world number two and the second seed, 6-2, 6-3 without losing a service game.
Match tale