2024-08-28 03:50:02
Japan’s Naomi Osaka warms up before during her women’s singles first round match against Latvia’s … [+]
Naomi Osaka made a fashion statement in her first match at the U.S. Open in two years — and then she proceeded to dominate on the court.
The four-time major champion took to the Louis Armstrong Stadium court wearing a green dress featuring a small shiny bow that rested on four tiers of ruffles. It was part of her Ambush collection designed by Yoon Ahn, who co-founded the Tokyo label Ambush in 2008 and began collaborating with Nike in 2018. Osaka, the 2018 and 2020 U.S. Open champion, also has a black version of the dress for night matches.
She then proceeded to dominate former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, 6-3, 6-2, to advance to the second round. It was her first Top-10 win since January 2020, and it came against a player who beat world No. 1 Iga Swiatek before losing to eventual champion Coco Gauff at the Open last year.
Osaka banged out nine aces and 19 winners against only five unforced errors. She won 39 of her 50 service points and was not broken. She closed the match out with a sharply angled forehand winner into the open court.
“If she serves the way she did and hits the way she did, she can beat anyone,” ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez said on air.
Osaka, 26, stepped away from the game last year while on maternity leave. In her return in 2024, she is 18-15 and is ranked No. 85 in the world, despite only two victories in the year’s previous three Grand Slams.
Still, she remains the third-highest paid female tennis player in the world, behind only Gauff and Swiatek, per Forbes.
She said her daughter Shai keeps her busy even during the Open.
“Last night my daughter didn’t want to go to sleep on her bed time, so I had to hold her for a quite a while and I was like, ‘Oh wow, she really picked the perfect day not to go to sleep,’” Osaka told ESPN’s Pam Shriver on court.
“Moments like that are so precious to me, I only hope I can keep having more.”
Osaka was in the stands last year watching Gauff win the title at 19. That motivated her to make a comeback.
“I was trying not to cry when I was walking out,” she said.
“Last year I was watching Coco play [from the stands] and I so badly wanted to step on these courts again and I didn’t know if I could. I didn’t know athletically, physically if i was able to. Just to win this match and just to be in this atmosphere means so much to me so thank you.”
Osaka said she served so well because she knew Ostapenko is such a stronger returner.
“I think it’s a funny thing when you’re playing someone who has such a good return,” she said. “You focus so much on your serve and that’s kind of what I did today. I just hoped that she didn’t hit too many winners on me.”
Next up for Osaka is world No. 52 Karolína Muchová in the second round on Thursday. If she gets past that match, she could meet former finalist Leylah Fernandez in the third.
Osaka remains a dangerous floater in the draw as a four-time major champ.
“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,” she said before the tournament. “In some moments I’m really amazed.
“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.”
NO. 1 SWIATEK SURVIVES MAJOR TEST
Swiatek, the No. 1 seed and five-time major champ, survived a tough test from lucky loser Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia.
Rakhimova, the No. 1 seed in qualifying, entered the draw as a lucky loser and held three set points in the second set tiebreaker before Swiatek turned on the jets to win 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) in just under two hours on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Swiatek, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, raced out to a 4-0 first-set lead, but Rakhimova earned a break before Swiatek served it out.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 27: Iga Swiatek of Poland returns against Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia … [+]
In the second set, Swiatek was up an early break but she showed her frustration when she swiped angrily at a ball after a long forehand gave the break back.
In the tiebreak, Swiatek saved three match points as Rakhimova got tight and sailed two forehands long to go from up 6-5 to down 7-6.
Swiatek banged out a service winner on match point to close it out.
Swiatek advanced despite 41 unforced errors.
She will face Ena Shibahara, an American-born Japanese player, in the second round.
