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MONTREAL: Naomi Osaka powered into her first National Bank Open semifinal, beating No. 10 seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday night.

Osaka advanced to face No. 16 seed Clara Tauson, who eliminated sixth-seeded Madison Keys 6-1, 6-4 in the first quarterfinal of the night.

Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion who reached No. 1 in the rankings, continued her best performance in a WTA 1000 tournament since reaching the final in Miami in 2022. She stepped away from tennis for 15 months toward the end of that season and had daughter Shai in July 2023.

The native of Japan is seeking her eighth career title and her first since the 2021 Australian Open.

Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko takes on ninth seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the other semifinal Wednesday. Mboko, who’s playing in her first main draw at the National Bank Open, will rise into the WTA’s top 50 after beginning the year outside the top 300.

The 18-year-old from Toronto has defeated five higher-ranked opponents en route to the semifinals, including top seed Coco Gauff in the fourth round.

Tauson dedicated her victory to her grandfather, Peter, during an on-court interview at IGA Stadium.

“I really wanted to win for him today,” she told the crowd before breaking down in tears. “I really wanted to come out here and show my best tennis for him, and hopefully he’s watching.”

Tauson said she only found out about her grandfather’s death on Monday, a day after she eliminated Wimbledon champion and No. 3-ranked Iga Swiatek 7-6 (1), 6-3.

She spoke of him as one of the biggest supporters of her career.

“He used to coach me a little bit playing tennis and drove me to almost every single practice from my school,” the 22-year-old native of Denmark said. “It was tough news yesterday morning when I woke up, but I think it’s for the better. He was not feeling great for a while.”

Tauson hasn’t lost a set in the tournament.

Keys failed to convert two break chances in the first game. After the American held serve, Tauson won the ensuing five games to take the first set.

“Not my best performance out there today,” said Keys, who won this year’s Australian Open. “She played amazing tonight. She played incredibly well, she served really well. It was just one of those things where I felt like I kept trying different things, and she was just beating me.

“When she’s serving like that, it’s going to be really hard to break her.”

RIYADH: Holders Al-Hilal will be banned from the 2026-27 Saudi Super Cup if they qualify after withdrawing from this season’s four-team competition, the �������� Football Federation’s (SAFF) Disciplinary and Ethics Committee said on Tuesday.

The decision came after Al-Hilal pulled out of the Super Cup, scheduled to be played from August 19-23 in Hong Kong, citing player fatigue following their Club World Cup campaign. They lost 2-1 to Fluminense in the quarter-finals on July 4.

“Al-Hilal refused to participate in the Saudi Super Cup for the 2025-2026 season after the official schedule for the competition was issued,” the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee said in a statement.

“As a result, the committee ruled that Al-Hilal had violated Article (59-3) of the Disciplinary and Ethics Regulations and fined the club 500,000 Saudi Riyals ($133,000) to be paid to the SAFF,” the statement added.

In addition to the fine, the club was banned from participating in the 2026-27 Super Cup and stripped of any financial awards allocated for this season’s competition.

The committee said the decision is subject to appeal.

Al-Hilal have been asked for comment.

They won the Super Cup by beating Al-Nassr last season for a record-extending fifth title.

The Saudi Super Cup is contested by the winners and runners-up of the King’s Cup and Saudi Pro League. Al-Hilal finished second in the 2024-25 Pro League behind Al-Ittihad.

Al-Hilal, who were due to face King’s Cup runners-up Al-Qadsiah in the Super Cup semifinals on August 20, have been replaced by AFC Champions League winners Al-Ahli.

Since Al-Ittihad won the Pro League and King’s Cup, the extra Super Cup spot was awarded to Al-Nassr — the third-placed team in the league — who they face in the semis on August 19.