Naomi Osaka made a fashion statement in her first match at the US Open after a two-year absence. Armed with the colorful outfit, she dominated the proceedings and later revealed that it gave her powers which she channeled into her game.
Osaka took to the court on Tuesday (August 27) wearing a green dress that had a shiny bow that rested in the four tiers of ruffles. She had worn a black version of the dress for night matches in the 2018 and 2020 US Open. However, in the green, she looked radiant on the blue hard court of the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The four-time Grand Slam champion produced an all-around excellent display to beat the former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2 to book her spot in the second round of the US Open. It was her first Top 10 win since 2020. With only five unforced errors, she won 39 of her 50 points without getting broken. She will take the good performance into the next round of the major event.
After the victory, Osaka replied to some section of social media fans who criticized her outfit. She stated that despite the outfit being on the flamboyant side, it gave her a different strength on the court.
I definitely love to be involved in everything I do, whether it's fashion or anything else. But I feel like being able to be a part of my tennis outfits gives me, I would say, a different strength. Especially the US Open outfits, I feel like they are a little bit more flamboyant. When I was putting on my outfit today, I was, like, ah, I hope this isn't too much. Yeah, I think for me when I put on the outfit it's almost like a super suit, so I try to channel that.Naomi Osaka said (via US Open press)
She has failed to make it past the second round of any Grand Slam event this year. The 26-year-old lost in the opening round to Caroline Garcia at the Australian Open. She beat Lucia Bronzetti in the first round at the French Open and then lost in three sets to Iga Swiatek. Osaka opened her Wimbledon campaign with a win against Diane Parry but then lost to Emma Navarro in the second round.
Naomi Osaka motivated to get into the WTA Top 10
Naomi Osaka will face World No. 52 Karolina Muchova in the second round of the US Open. The Japanese ace had won just one singles main draw match, against Ons Jabeur at the Canadian Open, since the disappointing Paris Olympics exit. She even failed to qualify for the main draw of the Cincinnati Open.
However, at the US Open, she played with confidence in her opening-round win against Jelena Ostapenko. Before the tournament, she had stated that her main objective currently was to do her best and get back into the Top 10 of the women’s ranking.
Obviously I want to be in the Top 10, and I want to do all these things, but in the back of my mind, remember not being able to run, if that makes sense, or not being able to do a sit-up. I came here with the specific goal of doing the absolute best that I can… it's a really incredible feeling to be back here.Naomi Osaka said (via Forbes)
The World No. 85 has a daunting task ahead of her. With an 18-15 win-loss record this year, she will need to improve her game drastically and be more consistent if she aims to climb the WTA rankings soon.
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