NEW YORK — A year ago, still on maternity leave and still unsure when she would play elite tennis again, Naomi Osaka visited the U.S. Open to appear with Michael Phelps for a discussion about mental health. While at the site, she sat in the stands to watch one of Coco Gauff’s matches.
Osaka also already was thinking about being back on a court at Flushing Meadows, so much so that she was pondering what she might want to wear to compete. And there she was Tuesday at Louis Armstrong Stadium, overpowering No. 10 seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2 while decked out, from her visor to her dress to the bows on her back and attached to her shoes, in lime green — the colour of this “Brat” summer, as it happens (IYKYK) — and playing very much like a two-time champion at the place and a former No. 1-ranked star.
“I feel like being able to be a part of (designing) my tennis outfits gives me, I would say, a different strength, especially the U.S. 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,’” Osaka said with a smile. “Because I had the tutu, and then I had the bow jacket and it was green. I feel like everyone was staring at me.”
Another player asked for a photo, Osaka said, adding: “I hope it was a positive picture (and) it wasn’t, like, ‘Oh, my God, look at her.’ For me, when I put on the outfit, it’s almost like a super suit, so I try to channel that.”
Did that well enough Tuesday to register her first victory against a top-10 opponent in more than four years.
Osaka claimed titles in New York in 2018 and 2020, along with a pair of trophies at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, and her matchup against 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko marked the first time two past major champs faced off in the opening round at the U.S. Open since Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova five years ago.
“Having two wins here means a lot, and I think for me, I’ve been struggling with confidence throughout the year,” said Osaka, who returned to action at the Australian Open in January, her first Grand Slam appearance in nearly 1 1/2 years because of mental health breaks and time away to have a baby. “This time now forces me to look in the mirror and say, ‘Hey, you’ve done really well here. There’s no reason why you can’t do well again.’”
How’s this for doing well? Osaka did not make a single unforced error in the first set and finished with only five, 16 fewer than Ostapenko.
“I do remember thinking, ‘I need to win this match so I can wear my other colour.’ That was very important to me,” said Osaka, who is ranked 88th and received a wild-card invitation from the U.S. Tennis Association. “I guess you’ll see my other colour next time.”
Next time will be Thursday against 2023 French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova, a 6-3, 7-5 winner against Katie Volynets of the U.S.
Other women moving into the second round included No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who got past Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4, 7-6 (6) by taking the last five points after needing to erase a trio of set points because she trailed 6-3 in the tiebreaker, and past major champions Elena Rybakina and Caroline Wozniacki. But No. 11 Danielle Collins’ Grand Slam singles career ended with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss to Caroline Dolehide in an all-American matchup. The 30-year-old Collins is retiring after this season.
Another American who recently announced her retirement, Shelby Rogers, was scheduled to face No. 6 Jessica Pegula at night, after four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz faced qualifier Li Tu in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Earlier in Ashe, No. 1 Jannik Sinner played his first match since news came out that he was cleared in a doping case involving two failed tests in March, and while he got off to a slow start, the 23-year-old Italian quickly bounced back to eliminate Mackie McDonald 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.
Other seeded men advancing included No. 7 Hubert Hurkacz and No. 25 Jack Draper, but No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas and No. 19 Felix Auger-Aliassime both lost, as did No. 23 Karen Khachanov, who came out on the wrong end of the longest U.S. Open match, by time, since tiebreakers were instituted in 1970.
Dan Evans snuck past Khachanov 6-7 (6), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4 across 5 hours, 35 minutes. The final set, in which Evans trailed 4-0, took 61 minutes itself — and was the shortest set they played.
