Naomi Osaka’s coaching experiment with Tomasz Wiktorowski is already showing promise. The four-time Grand Slam champion began her new partnership this week at the Omnium Banque Nationale in Montreal, and on Wednesday, photographer Jimmie48 captured a proud, smiling Wiktorowski as Osaka battled her way into the third round.
In her first tournament with the Polish strategist, previously known for guiding world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, Osaka delivered a thrilling second-round performance against a familiar foe: Liudmila Samsonova. The duo have been frequent adversaries on the WTA Tour recently, and this latest chapter marked their fifth clash in less than a year and a half.
The match lived up to expectations, testing Osaka’s nerves and resilience. Down a set and trailing 5-3 in the second, the former world No. 1 stared down three match points before flipping the script. Even the second-set tiebreak seemed out of reach at 2-5, but Osaka refused to let go. She battled her way back to claim the set and went on to seal the win 4-6 7-6(6) 6-3 after a grueling 2 hours and 37 minutes.
Her latest victory tips the head-to-head in her favor, now leading Samsonova 3-2. All of Osaka’s wins have come on hard courts—Indian Wells 2024, Miami 2025, and now Montreal—while Samsonova found her success on clay and grass (Madrid 2024 and Berlin earlier this year).
As Osaka builds momentum with Wiktorowski by her side, the early signs point to a productive collaboration. The courtside photos show a coach smiling, engaged, and perhaps already shaping her return to the top of the women’s game.
Wiktorowski has joined Osaka in Montreal on a trial basis, accepting her invitation to test out a potential coaching partnership. The renowned Polish coach is best known for leading Agnieszka Radwanska to the 2012 Wimbledon final and a career-high ranking of world No. 2, and later for helping Iga Swiatek rise to the top of the WTA world. Since parting ways with Swiatek last fall, Wiktorowski has kept a low profile and stayed off the tour, until now, returning to the coaching scene following Osaka’s split with Patrick Mouratoglou.
