Osaka stuns in newspaper gown to beat Zakharova in US Open first round
Naomi Osaka beat Russia's Anastasia Zakharova 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-3) in the first round of the US Open in New York on Monday's night session. She walked onto Arthur Ashe Stadium in a hooded white gown with newspaper headline cuttings sewn in and played in an all-black basketball-style kit underneath.
The four-time major champion entered the tournament as the 13th seed and is a former world number one who won the Flushing Meadows title in 2018 and 2020. Osaka has repeatedly used her Grand Slam arrivals for fashion statements, previously wearing a jellyfish-inspired outfit at the Australian Open, a sparkly Eiffel Tower-inspired golden dress at the French Open and an all-white Japanese kimono at Wimbledon. At the 2024 US Open she wore a lime green and white outfit decorated with bows, and at the 2026 Australian Open she sported an ocean blue tie-dye tracksuit jacket with white wide-leg bottoms as part of a jellyfish-inspired look.
For Monday's match Osaka added red-and-black headband and elbow sleeves similar to those donned by former Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson and arrived with a hooded tunic and a billowing white tulle train. She said the on-court look was inspired by Iverson and offered a direct tribute in her comments. "He's a trailblazer. I think he's also someone that I look up to a lot, because he's done a lot in fashion, whether it's on purpose or not," said Osaka. "He's shifted the way that NBA players dress. I also think the whole conversation around clothes in sports and just expressing yourself through style. "I feel like he's someone that I look up to in that regard."
On court Osaka started strongly, breaking at the first opportunity to lead 2-0 and later moving 5-2 up in the opening set, though she missed a chance to extend that lead to 4-0. Zakharova, the world number 101, rallied to take the opener into a tie-break after fighting back from the early deficit. Osaka's overall performance was described as faltering after the strong start, and she had to dig deep to close out the match.
The second set also saw momentum shifts, with Zakharova recovering from an early break down before the pair reached a tie-break. Osaka's serve proved decisive in the second tie-break as she opened up a 5-1 lead, and she completed victory just before 00:30 local time, avoiding a deciding set.
Osaka said she had another outfit planned for later in the tournament: "I wanted to play well because I wanted to show you guys some more outfits," she said. "I love expressing myself through clothes - because I don't like talking too much."
She will face the Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova in the second round.
