Naomi Osaka to work with Tomasz Wiktorowski on trial after Patrick Mouratoglou split
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Naomi Osaka of Japan plays a forehand against Ariana Arseneault of Canada during their first round match on Day 2 of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open.
PHOTO: AFP
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MONTREAL – Japan’s Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, will work with Polish coach Tomasz Wiktorowski on a trial basis after splitting with Patrick Mouratoglou after less than a year together.
She announced the parting with Frenchman Mouratoglou, the former coach of Serena Williams, on social media on July 28 before defeating Canadian qualifier Ariana Arseneault 6-4, 6-2 in 76 minutes in a first-round match at the WTA Canadian Open in Montreal.
Osaka, ranked 49th, began working in Canada with Wiktorowski, who coached Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska from 2011 to 2018, helping her reach the Wimbledon final and world No. 2 ranking in July 2012.
Wiktorowski also coached Poland’s former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek from late 2021 until last October, a run where she won four of her six career Grand Slam singles titles, before adding the most recent at Wimbledon earlier in July.
Osaka, who improved to 11-1 in matches against players ranked outside the top 100, will next face 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova in the second round. They have split four earlier meetings but Osaka won the two they played on hard courts.
Former world No. 1 Osaka, 27, began working with Mouratoglou last September.
“Merci Patrick it was such a great experience learning from you,” she posted on social media. “Wishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people l’ve ever met and I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
Mouratoglou said on Instagram he was “grateful for the trust, the journey and what we have built together”, and told Osaka he “will always root for you”.
Under the Frenchman’s guidance, Osaka reached the Auckland final in January but retired after the first set with an abdominal injury. She won twice at the Australian Open but retired after the first set in her third match with the same injury.
Osaka won her first WTA title since the 2021 Australian Open in May at the L’Open 35 de Saint-Malo, but fell in the first round of the French Open and the third round at Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate ousted Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 on July 29 in the men’s ATP event in Toronto, ensuring a breakthrough into the world rankings’ top 100.
The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from last November.
Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt in showing the No. 49 teenager from Brazil the exit.
The qualifier played a quarter-final in Los Cabos earlier in July and won through qualifying for his spot in the Masters main draw.
“I’m very happy with the result,” Schoolkate said. “I played a good match and made it tricky throughout. He’s so young (18) but already an established player. I’m looking forward to my next match.”
That will be against 2024 Canadian semi-finalist Matteo Arnaldi of Italy, which started after press time.
Schoolkate advanced with 10 aces among his 23 winners.
He caught Fonseca in a first-set tiebreak and broke for a 2-1 lead in the second set on his way to victory in windy and quick court conditions.
“The conditions suit the way I play,” he said. “I like to serve big and get forward to make things uncomfortable for the opponent.”
The Aussie said he had given some thought to his potential top-100 breakthrough but is not stressing over any self-imposed deadlines.
“My goal now is to be in the top 100 but I’ll just keep playing week-in, week-out, pushing hard and it will come,” he said. AFP
