The Toronto WTA 1000 tournament, the first hardcourt event since Miami, is set to kick off just over three weeks before the US Open. Unfortunately, a star-studded lineup of players, including Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Donna Vekić, have opted out of the Canadian Open. Nevertheless, fans can look forward to world number two Coco Gauff , who is gearing up to defend her US Open title. The tournament promises early excitement with a highly anticipated first-round match between Naomi Osaka and Ons Jabeur. Gauff’s draw looks comparatively easy till the QF.

The top-seeded American is keen to make up for her disappointing campaign at the Paris Olympics. She is most likely going to face Sofia Kenin in the R32. Although Kenin leads the H2H with Gauff by a 2-1 margin, the 20-year-old tennis star’s current form may keep her ahead in this contest. If she wins that match, the Gauff could possibly face Magdalena Frech or Daine Shnaider in the R16. Defeating those two, shouldn’t be a mammoth task for the 2023 US Open champion, but then in tennis, you never know!

However, if Gauff overcomes all the obstacles till the QF, she could face either Osaka, Ons Jabeur, or Liudmila Samsonova. The last opponent reached the finals of the tournament last year but lost to America’s Jessica Pegula. Gauff has a clear edge over the Russian tennis star if we look at the results from their previous meetings. Even if it’s Jabeur then Gauff will still be the favorite to reach the semis. However, if somehow Osaka manages to sneak into the QF then things can become a bit dicey for the American. She has a head-to-head record of 2-2 with Gauff.

Although it has been exactly two years since their last meeting, this matchup may well turn up to be the blockbuster match of this tournament! If we take a look at some of the other draws in this tournament, defending champion While Pegula will face either Nadia Podoroska or Karolína Plíšková in the second round, Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed here, will face either Cristina Bucsa or Yuan Yue.

However, the match to focus on at the moment is surely Osaka versus Jabeur. The Japanese tennis star has faced quite a few tough draws this season. Can she turn the tables finally in Canada this time?

Osaka is a big fan of Gauff, but is the Japanese tennis star a real threat to Gauff’s US Open crown?

Osaka has time and again revealed her admiration for Gauff. In 2023 during an interview with ESPN, Osaka said, “I’m always really proud of everything that she (Gauff) does. She seems like such a good person. And just everything that she’s doing and speaking out about so many different topics — it’s something that I would love my kid to look up after her as a role model.” She admitted that she cheers for the American tennis star for every match that she plays. With Gauff’s challenge looming in the over her head, will she now pray for facing a different opponent in the QF?

Previously during an interview, Osaka revealed her intentions for this season by subtly giving a warning to the reigning US Open champion: “I told people like September, US hard court swing is probably where maybe hopefully, I’ll make a really big result but other than that I’m just going to keep trying as hard as I can.“

We all know how lethal this Japanese tennis star is on the hard courts. Four out of her four Grand Slam titles have come on this surface and this is exactly why this competition is extremely crucial for both Gauff and Osaka to get back in their rhythms before the US Open.