While Osaka’s on-court performance during Monday’s evening session lacked polish, her presence at Flushing Meadows proved memorable for reasons beyond the scoreboard.
The 13th-seeded Japanese star, a two-time US Open champion (2018, 2020), got off to a promising start against Zakharova before being pushed to her limits in a hard-fought first-round contest.
Osaka struck early, breaking serve to seize a 2-0 advantage in the opening set. Though she failed to capitalize on a subsequent opportunity to extend her lead to 4-0, she maintained control and served comfortably at 5-2.
Zakharova, refusing to back down, mounted a resilient comeback. She forced a first-set tiebreak and recovered from an early break deficit in the second set to keep the match alive.
Osaka’s powerful serve ultimately proved decisive. She surged to a 5-1 lead in the second tiebreak and closed out the match just before 12:30 a.m. local time, avoiding a grueling third set.
The former world No. 1 will now face Czech player Katerina Siniakova in the second round and has hinted that more fashion moments are on the way.
“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.”
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