N. OSAKA/L. Fernandez
6-4, 6-4
THE MODERATOR: Naomi, congratulations, a great win today over a very formidable opponent, who obviously has the home crowd on her side as well. Just give us your keys to the win today.
NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, I think my serve helped me out a lot today. Also, I just tried to be consistent when I could, and not overplay too much.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you. Questions.
Q. What made your serve so effective? What did you like most about your serve tonight?
NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, I would say the fact that it gave me the upper hand when it went in.
I think, obviously, she's a great opponent, and she's kind of, I would say, aggressive in the positioning that she has. Yeah, I just tried to have a higher consistency and do the best that I could at this time.
Q. Talking about the quarterfinal, I find it interesting that you've never played Elena Rybakina on tour. Curious what your perspective is on the matchup, and just of her game.
NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, she's an amazing player. I've practiced with her twice, in Australia this year, and also Roland Garros. And they have been really good practices, so I'm kind of excited for a match. Because, yeah, she has a great serve, she's aggressive, and it's also, for me, very fun to play against the best players.
Q. A couple years ago when you were here in Toronto you said that you felt like you transformed into Sailor Moon once you set foot on hard courts. Does it kind of click for you right away once the summer hard court season comes, and you just feel really comfortable?
NAOMI OSAKA: Honestly, I wouldn't say it clicked, because in DC I felt a little off. I'm glad I went there, because I'm not sure, right off of grass, if I came, like, if this was my first tournament, I would have done as well.
So I'm glad I have the experience of DC under my belt. But I do think, you know, obviously this is, well, this surface is the only surface that I have titles on, so I think that's for a reason. But I wasn't mad at grass this year too.
Q. Wondering what you made of Leylah's level today, and with her taking up that aggressive positioning, how hard is it to sort of not get caught up in that and be more aggressive yourself. You said you wanted to just kind of be consistent.
NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, I feel like everyone knows her game style. Like, it's the reason why she is where she is. That and her attitude. I think she's very amazing in that way.
But on my end, I would say, like, the first time that I played her in New York, I remember I didn't know anything about her. I felt very panicked, because I was defending that tournament, but also just because she came in very quickly.
So, it's funny, this time around obviously she was the favorite. And for me, I just felt like, you know, try to be the veteran that you are and try to make balls, and kind of make the match be at my pace.
Q. You've talked about being a perfectionist, and you played a great match today, as you did against Elise. Is there still anything in your game that you're hoping to work on or, are you pretty satisfied with how things have been going for you thus far?
NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, honestly, I don't think I played great today. I think I did the best with how I could do this day. Does that make sense?
I mean, there's a lot that I wish I could have done better. I feel like, honestly, today, coming out, I was really nervous for some reason. I think it's because I didn't know what to expect with the crowd.
Obviously, like, the day before people were asking me about, like, a lot of questions about her, and it just made me overthink a lot.
So a couple of times in the match I tried to yawn to calm myself down, because I heard that that kind of, like, relaxes your muscles and stuff.
Overall, I am really happy that I was able to win in two, but I didn't feel spectacular or anything.
Q. Obviously the crowd was on her side. Just what did you think about the atmosphere tonight, and what do you like about how you handled everything?
NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, I don't know. I think I have experience now, a lot more matches under my belt with crowds.
You know, but also, like, it's fun. I think I played Alex in DC and, honestly, the crowd was like really kind, and I appreciated that a lot.
But it's also fun to play against a crowd that's against you. Because you're kind of like, I'm going to show you what I'm capable of, that type of mentality.
Q. Along the same lines, last year you played the final against Mboko, and obviously she was the crowd favorite. What did you maybe learn from that going up against a Canadian again here?
NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, that was on my mind too. I think last year wasn't like the highlight of my career at all. But I think I learned a lot from that.
I learned to be a lot more calm and just, yeah, take it point by point, or at least try my best to take it point by point.
And also appreciate moments like this. Because there's going to be a time where I look back on my career, and maybe tell my daughter like, Hey, back in my day (laughing), like, I played in Toronto and, you know, I had a huge crowd that was against me, but I did my best, you know, something like that. It's a good story to tell.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports