Naomi Osaka said she still does not feel like herself eight months into her comeback season following her latest defeat at the Cincinnati Open. 

Osaka was beaten in three sets by Ashlyn Krueger in the second round of qualifying for the event ahead of the final grand slam of the year at the US Open. 

The former world number one also lost in her first match of the Paris Olympics to Angelique Kerber and was beaten in the last 32 of the Canadian Open last week. 

Osaka was left puzzled by her lack of accuracy and power in her most recent loss, explaining her current form is having an affect on her mentally. 

"My biggest issue currently isn't losses though, my biggest issue is that I don't feel like I'm in my body," Osaka wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.

"It's a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn't miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to.

"I try to tell myself, 'It's fine you're doing great. Just get through this one and keep pushing', mentally it's really draining through.

"Internally, I hear myself screaming, 'What the hell is happening?!?!'"

Osaka returned to action in January after a 15-month break during which she gave birth to her daughter. 

The Japanese is now ranked 90th in the WTA rankings, with her best finishes coming in Doha and 's-Hertogenbosch where she reached the quarter-finals in both. 

"I've played a handful of matches this year that I felt like I was myself and I know this moment is probably just a small phase from all the new transitions (clay, grass, clay, hard), however the only feeling I could liken how I feel right now to is being post-partum," Osaka said.

"That scares me because I've been playing tennis since I was three, the racket should feel like an extension of my hand."

Osaka's next event will be at Flushing Meadows, a stadium where she triumphed in 2018 and 2020, but added she did not understand why everything about her game felt brand new again. 

"This should be as simple as breathing to me, but it's not," she added. "I genuinely did not give myself grace for that fact until just now."

Carlos Alcaraz said he will remember this summer "for the rest of his life" despite his defeat to Novak Djokovic at the Paris Olympics. 

Alcaraz, who has already won two grand slams at the French Open and Wimbledon this year, finished with a silver medal at the Games earlier this month. 

The Spaniard will take part in this week's Cincinnati Open where he will face either Gael Monfils or recent Canadian Open winner Alexei Popyrin in the second round. 

Alcaraz has the opportunity to claim a second US Open title in two weeks time, but had the chance to reflect on an incredible few months ahead of his first match in Ohio. 

“It has been some incredible months in my life and career after winning Roland-Garros, a tournament that I was very excited to win, and of course Wimbledon, which is wonderful to be able to win it,” Alcaraz told the ATP Tour.

“Also, one of my dreams was to win an Olympic medal. I have enjoyed a lot these last few months. They were incredible and I enjoyed it a lot.

“I am also very happy with my tennis and the way I handled different situations. I think I have improved a lot as a player, so I am very happy.

“Of course, in tennis the season is not over, and we have to carry on pushing our best in each tournament but, of course, I will remember these months [for] the rest of my life.”

Alcaraz also partnered up with fellow compatriot Rafael Nadal in the men's doubles at Roland-Garros during the Olympics in the French capital. 

The Spanish pair, dubbed 'Nadalcaraz' at the Games, lost in the quarter-finals to America's fourth-seeded duo Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram in straight sets. 

And while his journey with the 22-time grand slam champion fell short of a medal, Alcaraz said it was a dream come true to play alongside one of his sporting heroes. 

“It was a great experience, talking with Rafa off the court, knowing each other much better off the court. It was a great experience, obviously, playing doubles together," Alcaraz said.

“It was something that I will never forget, for sure. I learned a lot talking to him on court, off the court as well.

“I think we played great tennis in doubles, even if we are not used to playing doubles very often.

“A little bit disappointing at the end, because we thought that we could do it better, but in general, we were happy.

“Obviously talking about myself, I reached my dream, my dream came true, playing doubles alongside Rafa.”

Iga Swiatek has measured her expectations ahead of the Cincinnati Open this week, with the top-ranked seed placing full focus on the US Open later this month. 

Swiatek, who won bronze at the Paris Olympics, returns to the hardcourt surface for the first time since the Miami Open back in March. 

The Pole has since won three titles on clay in Madrid, Rome and the French Open, before losing to Yulia Putintseva in the third round on the grass courts of Wimbledon. 

She returned to Roland-Garros with her eyes set on Olympic gold, but settled for a third place finish after beating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in her bronze medal match.

However, Swiatek, who plays Ajla Tomljanovic or Varvara Gracheva in the second round this week, acknowledged how difficult the transition will be. 

"I know that the first tournament on hardcourts isn't going to be easy," said Swiatek. 

"So I'm going to try to treat it as a practice tournament, but not in a way that I don't care - more in a way that I want to implement all the stuff that I practiced on.

"I think it's the best approach for me now."

The US Open offers an opportunity for Swiatek to claim a second title Stateside, with the possibility of taking her grand slam total to six. 

But with Cincinnati first up, the Pole said that the Lindner Family Tennis Center is the perfect platform to build to the tournament in New York later this month. 

"I felt after the Olympics I need to reset and also focus on getting my technique back together and just grinding on court," Swiatek said.

"Here's the perfect place to do it. It feels a little bit less crazy, but on the other hand, even before the tournament, there are many people and a lot of fans.

"So you still feel it's an important tournament."

Iga Swiatek has measured her expectations ahead of the Cincinnati Open this week, with the top-ranked seed placing full focus on the US Open later this month. 

Swiatek, who won bronze at the Paris Olympics earlier this month, returns to the hardcourt surface for the first time since the Miami Open back in March. 

The Pole has since won three titles on clay in Madrid, Rome and the French Open, before losing to Yulia Putintseva in the third round on the grass courts of Wimbledon. 

She returned to Roland-Garros with her eyes set on gold, but settled for a third place finish after beating Anna Karolína Schmiedlova in her bronze medal match.

However, Swiatek, who plays Ajla Tomljanovic or Varvara Gracheva in the second round this week, acknowledged how difficult the transition will be. 

"I know that the first tournament on hardcourts isn't going to be easy," said Swiatek. 

"So I'm going to try to treat it as a practice tournament, but not in a way that I don't care - more in a way that I want to implement all the stuff that I practiced on.

"I think it's the best approach for me now."

The US Open offers an opportunity for Swiatek to claim a second title Stateside, with the possibility of taking her grand slam total to six. 

But with Cincinnati first up, the Pole said that the Lindner Family Tennis Center is the perfect platform to build to the tournament in New York later this month. 

"I felt after the Olympics I need to reset and also focus on getting my technique back together and just grinding on court," Swiatek said.

"Here's the perfect place to do it. It feels a little bit less crazy, but on the other hand, even before the tournament, there are many people and a lot of fans.

"So you still feel it's an important tournament."

Jannik Sinner played down any injury concerns and said he was looking forward to starting his Cincinnati Open campaign this week.

Sinner fell to a quarter-final defeat to Andrey Rublev at the Canadian Open in Montreal and was seen holding his hip at various stages of the encounter.

Nevertheless, the world number one said his only real concern was returning to the intensity of matches after skipping the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis. 

"I feel quite good. Obviously, I made nearly one week without practising before, and then after playing for two-three days in a row, a bit more than usual, (that) could (have had) a potential impact to the hip," Sinner told reporters.

"But I'm not afraid. I feel good with the hip, and I'm just looking forward to going back on court here."

Sinner holds a poor record in Cincinatti, having never advanced to the quarter-finals, and was the victim of a shock loss to Dusan Lajovic in the round of 32 last year. 

However, the Italian is confident of a better run this time around, starting with an opening against either Tallon Griekspoor or Alex Michelsen. 

"Here usually I struggle a little bit to play because of the conditions but I'm looking forward to see my reaction this year, because it's a great test," said Sinner. 

The Australian Open champion believes a good tournament can act as a perfect platform for the final slam of the year in New York, which begins at the end of this month.

"I believe this tournament can give you a lot of confidence for the US Open, which is the last grand slam we have," Sinner said.  

"So in my mind, this is a very important tournament. "We go day by day. I have a couple of days to prepare and hopefully show some good tennis."

Alexei Popyrin declared his victory at the Canadian Open “means the world” after he defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets to claim his maiden ATP 1000 title.

Popyrin won 6-2 6-4 to become the first player to win the Canadian Open title in their first main draw appearance in 17 years. The last player to do so was 24-time Grand Slam singles winner Novak Djokovic in 2003.

The 25-year-old defied the odds to beat favourite and world number six Rublev in his third defeat of a top-10 opponent in Montreal.

For the current world number 62, it was a sign that all the effort had been worth it.

"It means the world, for all the hard work I've put in over the years, all the sacrifices I have made," said Popyrin.

"Not just me, but my family, my girlfriend, my team, everybody around me. They have sacrificed their whole lives for me and for me to win this for them is just amazing."

The victory also makes Popyrin the first Australian to win a Masters 1000 since Lleyton Hewitt won Indian Wells in 2003.

He became the fourth-lowest ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion, just two weeks after being defeated by Alexander Zverev on clay courts in the round of 16 in the Olympics men’s singles.

Popyrin fared better against Rublev, who remained optimistic about his performance despite the upset.

“It's a very positive and really good week. [It’s a] really big step forward, and I feel proud of myself that I was able to be really good all the week mentally,” reflected Rublev.

“If we compare my match against him at Monte-Carlo when I was losing, I was behaving 10 times more, and it was first round.

“Here it was a final. Much more pressure. Yes, I still showed a bit emotions today, but compare the matches when I was losing the same way, I think I did much better job.

“That's why I had a little chance in the second set, but it was just not my time I guess.”

Jessica Pegula reflected on a “really special” win at the Canadian Open in Toronto, after defeating fellow American Amanda Anisimova in the final.

The victory marked Pegula’s second straight Canadian Open title, as she fended off an Anisimova comeback to win 6-3 2-6 6-1.

The 30-year-old, who was seeded third, has become just the seventh player in the Open Era to defend her Canadian Open title, the most recent having been Martina Hingis in 2000.

Pegula, who hails from Buffalo, New York, enjoyed her achievement all the more for the presence of family and friends.

"Toronto, it's nice, it's so close to Buffalo, I had a lot of friends, family, and my grandparents, my husband was able to come today. That's cool, I don't really get that at a lot of tournaments,” said Pegula.

"Then to be able to win the tournament as well, and to be able to share that moment with them is really special.

“I don't know what it is about Canada, but I just seem to do well. Yeah, I'll take it.”

The victory means Pegula has become the first woman to win 10 consecutive singles matches at the Canadian Open since Serena Williams. The 23-time grand slam winner triumphed in 14 straight matches between 2011 and 2014.

"I know everyone's talking about my record, but it's nice to be able to get through the week and to back it up," said Pegula. "So, just super excited, I mean, an honour, really.”

It took Pegula one hour and 27 minutes to defeat Anisimova and win her sixth WTA singles title. It also marked her third career WTA 1000 title (Guadalajara 2022, Montreal 2023 and Toronto 2024).

It was Anisimova's first Tour-level final in over two years, with the 22-year-old having defeated four top-20 players on her way there.

"I put the work in, I kept my head down, and I tried to come back to the sport with more of a relaxed feeling," Anisimova reflected.

"Trying to enjoy each day as it comes and not being so serious about everything, because that takes away the joy from a lot of things. That approach to my everyday life has helped me a lot."

Alexei Popyrin overcame Andrey Rublev in straight sets to win his maiden ATP 1000 title at the Canadian Open.

Popyrin won 6-2 6-4 to complete a remarkable run in Montreal, becoming the fourth-lowest-ranked player to win an ATP 1000 title in the process.

The Australian saved the three break points he faced in set one and, despite dropping a game in the second set, immediately hit back to take the impetus away from Rublev, who had stunned world number one Jannik Sinner en route to the final.

It marked Popyrin's third victory over a top-10 opponent at the tournament, while he also snapped Sebastian Korda's eight-match winning streak in the semi-finals.

Data Debrief: Popyrin ends Aussie wait

Popyrin became the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt to win a Masters 1000 trophy.

That victory for Hewitt came at Indian Wells in 2003, when Popyrin was only three years old.

Jessica Pegula successfully defended her Canadian Open crown by beating Amanda Anisimova in Monday's final.

Pegula, who was seeded third, prevailed 6-3 2-6 6-1 against her fellow American in Toronto.

The 30-year-old ended Anisimova's hopes of a shock title, and a fifth top-20 win of the tournament.

Pegula was on fire in the opening set, dominating on her serve, but Anisimova responded with a swift break in the second as she rallied to draw the match.

Yet two breaks in quick succession put Pegula firmly on top in the decider, and though Anisimova clawed back two match points, her opponent got the job done at the third time of asking.

Pegula has now won six Tour-level titles, with three of these being WTA 1000 events (Guadalajara 2022, Montreal 2023 and Toronto 2024).

Data Debrief: Pegula's Canadian comforts

Hailing from Buffalo, just south of the border, Pegula has certainly enjoyed a fine run in Canada over the past two years. 

She is only the second player this century to secure the title at the Canadian Open in both Toronto and Montreal, along with Simona Halep, while she became the seventh player in the Open Era to defend her title at the Canadian Open after Chris Evert, Evonne Goolagong, Martina Navratilova, Regina Marsikova, Monica Seles and Martina Hingis.

No player had successfully defended a WTA 1000 title since Iga Swiatek did so at Rome in 2022, and no player had done so on hard court since Ashleigh Barty, who defended her Miami crown in 2021.

Barbados’ women’s tennis team made history on Saturday by advancing to Americas Group II of the Billie Jean King Cup at the National Racquet Centre in Tacarigua, Trinidad & Tobago.

The Bajans first went 4-0 in Pool A preliminary round action with wins over Antigua & Barbuda (3-0), Jamaica (2-1), Bahamas (3-0) and Trinidad & Tobago (2-1) from August 5-8 before coming up against El Salvador in the promotional playoff on Saturday.

El Salvador advanced to that playoff thanks to a second-place finish in Pool B after three wins and one loss.

In the first match of Saturday’s playoff, El Salvador’s Michelle Irigoyen secured a dominant 6-0, 6-2 victory over Barbados’ Serena Bryan before Gabrielle Leslie tied proceedings at 1-1 with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Sara Valentina Cruz Bonilla.

The deciding doubles match was a fitting way to determine the victor as both teams left it all on the court.

Barbados’ Hannah Chambers and Cherise Slocombe went up against El Salvador’s Bonilla and Irigoyen.

Chambers and Slocombe took the first set 6-3 before the El Salvador pair roared back into it with a bagel (6-0) in the second set.

The teams then played out a marathon third and deciding set which Barbados eventually won 11-9 to book their spot in Americas Group II.

Costa Rica will join them in Group II after beating Jamaica 2-1 in the other playoff.  

Andrey Rublev said reaching the Canadian Open was "worth the wait", while it also backed up his decision to skip the Paris Olympics.

Rublev made the call not to participate at Roland-Garros as he instead focused on readying himself for the North American swing.

And the Russian's US Open preparations stepped up another gear as he defeated Matteo Arnaldi 6-4 6-2 on Sunday to reach the final of the Canadian Open for the first time in his career.

Rublev had to overcome a rain delay in the process of defeating the Italian in Montreal.

"The wait has been worth it. I'm happy to be in my first Canadian final." Rublev said, as reported by the ATP's official website.

"I just want to recover, rest well and be ready for [the final].

"The idea [of not going to the Olympics] was to be more ready for Canada, so if I'm in the final it means we did really well."

Rublev will go up against someone who was competing at the Olympics when he faces Alexei Popyrin on Monday.

In his second match of the day, Popyrin ended Sebastian Korda's eight-match winning streak to prevail 7-6 (7-0) 6-3 and progress to the first ATP 1000 final of his career.

"It means the world, it's an amazing achievement for myself to be honest, and sometimes you have to pat yourself on the back," said Popyrin.

"I'll do that, but it's all hands on deck and back to work.

"It was a topsy-turvy first set with some breaks here and there. I had some points at 5-4 but played some sloppy points and didn't convert.

"I just stayed mentally strong and I knew exactly what I was going to do on my next break point if I got an opportunity."

Popyrin (62) is the lowest-ranked player to reach the final of the Canadian Open in the men's singles since Harel Levy, a qualifier, in 2000.

Amanda Anisimova celebrated a "huge accomplishment" after she teed up a Canadian Open show-piece against Jessica Pegula.

Anisimova claimed her fourth top-20 victory of the week in Toronto on Sunday as she downed Emma Navarro 6-3 2-6 6-2.

That victory makes Anisimova, now ranked 132nd in the world after she took a break from tennis in 2023, the lowest-ranked finalist at the Canadian Open in the last 40 years.

But she is not done there.

"This is a huge accomplishment for me, and something I've been working really hard towards," Anisimova said, as reported by the WTA's official website.

"I'm just super happy, honestly, with my week here, and I'm pretty surprised with how well I've been able to do so far.

"I'm still hungry for more, and I hope that I can really do well [in the final]."

Anisimova took a sabbatical last year to focus on her mental health, but the American always had her sights set on a return to the top level.

"I knew that when I stepped away that I really wanted to come back and I didn't want to finish my career on that note," Anisimova said.

"There was still a lot that I wanted to achieve, and just not finish at such a young age, because I had sacrificed so much and given so much to the sport. So, yeah, I knew that I still had many years that I wanted to play."

Compatriot Pegula stands in the way of Anisimova and glory, with the world number six defeating Diana Shnaider 6-4 6-3.

Pegula is the first player since Simona Halep (2015-2016) and the first American since Jennifer Capriati (2001-2002) to reach consecutive finals at the Canadian Open.

"Getting a chance to defend my title is something that doesn't always happen, so I'm excited that I get to put myself in a good spot to do so," Pegula said.

"I think it's cool to have my name with a lot of other big names in history that have either played well here or been able to defend the title as well, so it's super special."

Only Serena Williams (18) and Venus Williams (six) have reached more WTA 1000 finals than Pegula (four) among American players since the format was introduced in 2009.

Sebastian Korda booked his place in the semi-finals of the Canadian Open after knocking out number two seed Alexander Zverev in three sets.

The American egded the entertaining clash in a third-set decider, eventually emerging a 7-6 (7-5) 1-6 6-4 victor in two hours and 19 minutes on Court Central. 

Zverev started the encounter in Toronto on the front foot, earning a break of serve in the second game as he raced into a 3-0 lead early on. 

However, his American opponent would fight back, winning three games in row to level the scores, maintaining his momentum to triumph in a first-set tiebreak. 

But Zverev would respond emphatically, however, cruising through the second set without breaking a sweat to take the pairs first ever encounter the distance. 

Korda and Zverev would hold their respective serve, but the German would be the first to blink, losing the ninth game on serve to hand his opponent the advantage. 

And the American would grasp the opportunity with both hands, ending the encounter with a fierce serve as Zverev sent the ball high and and long. 

Korda will face the winner of Hubert Hurkacz and Alexei Popyrin for a place in Monday's final. 

Data Debrief: Korda continues impressive run

Korda can't stop winning at the moment, with his success in Toronto making it the fouth consecutive semi-final he has reached in as many events. 

The world number 18 won 11 of his 15 service games, also saving five of the nine break points he faced in Toronto. 

Andrey Rublev pulled off a shock in the Canadian Open quarter-final, knocking out an ailing Jannik Sinner in three sets.

The world number one pulled out of the Olympics due to illness and appeared to be struggling with a recurring hip injury as he was beaten 6-3 1-6 6-2 in Montreal on Saturday.

In a rain-hit match, Rublev took the first set before Sinner rallied to force a decider but he could not retain his momentum as the Russian snapped his eight-match winning streak on hard courts.

"It was a really great match of mine. I was playing really well today, and I'm happy that I was able to win," Rublev said.

"I don't know, not much to say, because I still, for the moment, really don't understand what's happening, because Jannik is an amazing player and he's playing unbelievable for the past two years.

"I was just hoping that I would be able to fight with him, to show great tennis. In the end, I think we had a lot of great rallies, a lot of long rallies.

"To be able to win this kind of match, of course, it's always special. I needed those matches, especially after some bad moments this year. So, of course I'm happy."

Since the start of the 2020 season, Rublev is now one of four players to defeat the ATP's number one on multiple surfaces, along with Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune.

Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev prevailed in straight sets against Rune earlier on Saturday to reach the last eight with a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) win.

Excluding team events, Zverev is now in an 11th ATP-level quarter-final in 2024. It is the most of any player this season, while the German (11) is one of just two to reach 10+ ATP event QFs this year, along with Sinner (10).

Canadian Open champion Jannik Sinner advanced to the quarter-finals in Montreal with a straight-sets victory over Chile's Alejandro Tabilo.

The world number one made a slow start but found his feet midway through the opening set, getting the decisive break in the seventh game to inch ahead.

Tabilo only won one of 12 points on Sinner's first serve throughout the first set and saw his own serve broken again early in the second as Sinner eased to a 6-4 6-3 win.

Due to rain cancelling Friday's play, Sinner is on double duty on Saturday, with the Italian set to return to the court to face Andrey Rublev in the last eight at 7pm local time.

Data Debrief: Sinner joins exclusive club

Sinner's victory means he has reached at least the last eight at each of his first 10 ATP events of the season.

He is the first player to achieve that feat since Novak Djokovic in 2015, and the youngest – at 22 years and 358 days old – since Ivan Lendl in 1982.