Naomi Osaka Shines at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Bold Fashion Statement
Naomi Osaka lit up Arthur Ashe Stadium long before she struck a ball.
The two-time US Open champion arrived for her first-round match against Anastasia Zakharova in another statement walk-on look, extending a season in which her fashion has become as closely watched as her forehand. This time, she stepped into the night in a hooded tunic, its patchwork-style panels covered in press clippings from her past tournaments, a billowing white tulle train floating behind her as she walked.
It was part runway, part reminder: Osaka’s story, literally stitched into the fabric.
She has turned every major this year into a themed chapter. At Wimbledon, she nodded to her Japanese roots in a kimono-inspired ensemble, complete with a traditional kanzashi hair ornament, before changing into a white Nike playing kit. At Roland Garros, she chose a black Kevin Germanier skirt and a layered yellow, brown and gold outfit, drawing inspiration from the Eiffel Tower’s night-time glow. In Australia, her look took its cues from a jellyfish, all fluid lines and movement.
New York demanded something different. Something bolder.
Competing at Flushing Meadows in an Allen Iverson-inspired playing outfit, Osaka carried that basketball edge onto the court. “It’s my tribute to Iverson,” she said of the NBA Hall of Famer. “I really like him a lot. Nike said basketball, so I said, ‘You want basketball, I’ll give you basketball.’ I like expressing myself through clothes, and I’m glad you guys appreciate it.”
For five games, the script matched the swagger. Osaka raced out to a 4-1 lead against the world No 101 and looked set for a routine night. The ball was coming cleanly off the strings, the serve had bite, and Zakharova seemed overmatched under the Ashe lights.
Then the resistance came.
Zakharova steadied, began to lengthen the rallies and refused to be overawed. Osaka’s early fluency dipped, the errors crept in, and the set tightened. What had looked like a procession turned into a scrap, the Russian forcing a tie-break and silencing the crowd just enough to inject a little tension into the air.
That was the moment Osaka’s competitive edge snapped back into focus.
She dug in during the breaker, trading heavy blows and leaning on her first serve when she needed it most, edging it 8-6 to lock up a hard-earned opening set. The scoreline read 7-6, but it felt more like an escape than a cruise.
The pattern didn’t ease in the second. Osaka again found herself dragged into long games, again pushed to a tie-break by an opponent who refused to go away. The clock crept towards half past midnight, the stadium thinned slightly, yet the noise for Osaka stayed sharp and loyal.
This time, she did not leave it quite so late. The four-time major champion tightened her margins, took control of the exchanges and closed out the second breaker 7-3 to seal a 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/3) victory and a place in the second round.
“I would say it took everything [to win],” she admitted on court as the time nudged 12:30 am. “I have no idea what time it is. Thanks for staying.” The gratitude sounded genuine, not rehearsed. “I’m grateful to be able to play on this court again. I just told myself to not have any regrets. I wanted to come out and compete … I was a little rusty. I get nervous in the first rounds. I want to do well and show you guys new outfits.”
There it was again: performance and presentation, side by side. Osaka is chasing rhythm and wins, but she is also building a visual narrative through the season, a series of looks that mirror her mood and mindset as she returns to the sport’s biggest stages.
Seeded 13th and already a two-time champion in New York after her triumphs in 2018 and 2020, she now turns her attention to Czech player Kateřina Siniaková in the second round. The tennis will be the real test.
But in this city, on this court, Osaka has already made one thing clear: she intends to own the night, on the runway to the baseline.
