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 color 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 color.’ 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 color 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.
SINNER DEBUTS
If there were any boos directed Jannik Sinner’s way at the U.S. Open, they were imperceptible amid the polite applause from the sparse crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium when he was introduced Tuesday before the No. 1-ranked man’s first match since his doping case emerged a week ago.
After a sloppy and slow opening set, Sinner pulled away for a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory against Mackie McDonald of the United States to reach the second round at Flushing Meadows.
“The response from fans, I feel it has been great. Also throughout, when the news came out, in the practice sessions, there was a lot of support, which I’m very glad and happy about,” Sinner said. “It is still a little bit not easy. You have to go through, day by day.”
There were no apparent signs in the stands or disparaging shouts making reference to what no one knew about for months: Sinner tested positive twice for trace amounts of the anabolic steroid Clostebol in an eight-day span in March.
Nothing was announced publicly until last week, when word came that the 23-year-old Italian was docked prize money and ranking points from the tournament where the first result appeared, but he escaped a suspension because it was ruled he was not at fault and the drug entered his system unintentionally, through a massage from his physiotherapist.
In his first public comments on the matter, at a pre-tournament news conference Friday, Sinner said he had fired the fitness trainer who bought an over-the-counter spray containing Clostebol in Italy and the physiotherapist who used it for a cut on his finger before treating the player and transferring the substance to his body.
During a brief on-court interview in Ashe, Sinner wasn’t asked about the case, which has drawn some criticism from other players, including Novak Djokovic, about the way it was handled and questions about whether certain athletes are treated differently than others when it comes to the process for determining punishments related to doping.
“I cannot really control what they think and what they (say). I cannot control the players’ reaction,” Sinner said. “If I have something to say to someone, I go there privately, because I’m this kind of person. But, look, overall, it has been not bad. So I’m happy about that.”
Against McDonald, an American ranked 140th who fell to 4-13 in 2024, Sinner was way off the mark at the outset. He double-faulted. He put what should have been an easy smash into the net. He messed up volleys. It added up to 14 unforced errors in the initial set, helping McDonald grab five games in a row from 2-all to collect that set and go up a break in the second.
“I made him see a lot of balls. I served really well, too. I was defending super well,” said McDonald, who beat Rafael Nadal at the 2023 Australian Open. “My level just decreased, which is disappointing. I feel like I can play some really good tennis, which I did for a little bit. But to do that for a long time against a guy like that was too tough for me.”
Sinner turned things around quickly in the second set, making just 15 unforced errors combined over the last three sets, including zero in the third, and next will face another American, Alex Michelsen.
The way Sinner picked up his play is what everyone is used to seeing from him, particularly on hard courts like those used in New York. He improved to 29-2 on the surface this season with four titles, including his first Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open in January.
“He just constantly pressures you,” McDonald said. “The ball is coming back so fast, over and over and over.”
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.
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