Naomi Osaka Survives Challenge to Reach Third Round
Naomi Osaka wobbled, then roared back.
Under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the two-time US Open champion survived a jagged second set and a spirited challenge from Katerina Siniakova to reach the third round in New York with a 6-2 5-7 6-1 victory.
This was Osaka in full theatre mode from the moment she walked on court. After turning heads in the first round with an outfit inspired by NBA icon Allen Iverson, the four-time major winner arrived on Thursday in a crisp white dress, delicately embroidered with tennis racquets. The look was calm. The tennis, at least for a while, matched it.
She flew through the opening set in just 30 minutes, striking cleanly, serving with authority and dictating almost every rally. Siniakova, the world’s top-ranked doubles player, barely had time to settle before Osaka had the first set in her pocket and a firm grip on the match.
When Osaka broke for 4-2 in the second set by the hour mark, the script seemed written: a quick, efficient win, job done. But the match twisted sharply.
What followed was a chaotic run of four consecutive breaks of serve. Osaka stepped up to serve for the match at 5-3 and tightened. The first serve lost its bite, the groundstrokes lost their margin, and Siniakova, who had been scrambling to stay close, suddenly found a way to drag her opponent into longer, nervier exchanges.
Osaka’s level dipped, her frustration rose. Of her 29 unforced errors on the night, 20 came in that second set alone. The 13th seed saw her 5-3 lead vanish, then watched Siniakova snatch the set 7-5, punishing every short ball and every hesitation.
Osaka left the court at the changeover. She needed a reset. She said as much to the crowd later.
“The match was definitely really tough. I just felt like I was a little bit too hard on myself after opportunities in the second set,” she told the Arthur Ashe crowd. “I took the bathroom break, regrouped a little, came back and just tried to have no regrets.”
The response was ruthless.
Back on court, Osaka stripped the tension out of her game and went back to first principles: big serves, heavy first strikes, clear patterns. The rallies shortened again. Siniakova, who had ridden the emotional surge of that second set, suddenly found herself overpowered.
Osaka won six of the final seven games, racing through the decider 6-1 in a clinical, controlled finish that looked far more like the opening set than the storm in the middle. The entire contest lasted two hours and two minutes, but the decisive blows came quickly once she settled.
The win books Osaka a third-round meeting with Belgian 23rd seed Elise Mertens, a savvy baseliner who will test her rhythm and patience in different ways.
For now, though, Osaka leaves Ashe with something just as valuable as a scoreline: proof that when the doubts creep in and the lead slips away, she can still walk off, reset, and come back swinging.
