Osaka held the world number one ranking for 25 weeks in 2019.
Naomi Osaka delivered a dominant performance, conceding only a single game in her victory over Anastasija Sevastova to advance to the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open in Montreal.
The four-time Grand Slam champion required just 49 minutes to secure a decisive 6-1, 6-0 win against the 35-year-old Latvian player, who previously eliminated defending champion Jessica Pegula.
Osaka, of Japan, a two-time victor at both the US and Australian Opens, is now vying for her first title since returning to competitive play in early 2024 following maternity leave.
The 27-year-old recently concluded her partnership with coach Patrick Mouratoglou after a tenure of less than a year and has since joined forces with Poland’s Tomasz Wiktorowski, former coach of Iga Swiatek.
“I came in with a well-defined plan, and fortunately, it played out effectively,” stated Osaka, who is currently ranked 49th globally.
In other action, American Madison Keys mounted a comeback to defeat Czech Karolina Muchova 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a match lasting two hours and 20 minutes.
After saving two match points in her resilient victory, the Australian Open champion is set to face world number three Swiatek or Clara Tauson in the quarter-finals.
Turning to the men’s event, Australian Alex de Minaur continued his strong showing with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 triumph over American seventh seed Frances Tiafoe, earning his place in the quarter-finals in Toronto.
De Minaur, the ninth seed and recent winner of the Washington Open, aims to surpass his runner-up finish from 2023.
In an upset, Denmark’s Holger Rune, seeded fifth, suffered a 6-4, 2-6, 3-6 defeat at the hands of Alexei Popyrin.
Live scores, results and order of play
Get tennis news sent straight to your phone