Paris (France) (AFP) – Naomi Osaka continued to shine in the City of Light as she beat American teenager Iva Jovic 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 in the French Open third round on Saturday. On Court Suzanne Lenglen, the Japanese star once again made an eye-catching entry, wearing a gold jacket and a voluminous gold train, the outfit bracketed by pink tennis shoes and a black sponsor’s visor.
She shed the outer layers to play in another variation of her gold tennis dress, which shone in the blazing sun of the fading Paris heatwave. After the match, Osaka refused to reveal if she had more outfits lined up in her hotel room. “I think it’s a surprise every time,” she said. But she was happy to give details. “I have a lot of meetings with Nike, and I don’t think people realise how much time and effort they put into every outfit,” she added.
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She said outfits were planned “a year and a half in advance, minimum,” that each outfit required four fittings and she had five to seven more with her. She added there was one drawback to an outfit with sequins. “If I wanted to dry my hands on my dress, that would be impossible. That’s the only adjustment that I have had to make,” she said. “It’s actually quite comfortable.” She said the fashion was “literally my self-expression.”
“It would be weirder to wear a normal tennis kit at this point, I think,” she said. “I feel like it’s the fun of it. For a long time, I didn’t have fun. I just want things to be fun, and I want to make it exciting for myself.” The win prolonged the 16th seed’s longest Roland Garros run. “I think I’m just a lot calmer now,” said Osaka, who has won the Australian and US Opens twice each. “I feel like in the previous years I just wanted it so much. And now, obviously I do want it, but I accept that it’s a process, and maybe it will eventually come and maybe it won’t. I just have to, you know, enjoy it while it lasts.”
– ‘Popcorn matches’ – In a match dominated on serve, Osaka gained the decisive break in the 10th game of the third set. Jovic, seeded 17, opened the game with a 162kph ace, but after that, faltered when Osaka returned, finding the net twice and then hitting long on the first match point. The players exchanged breaks early in the first set and midway through the second before both went to tie-breaks. Osaka edged the first. Jovic, 18, raced away to win in the second.
In the last 16, Osaka will face top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka. The pair could tempt the tournament organisers, who have been criticised for only scheduling men in the marquee late slots, to put a woman’s match on at night. Osaka said she did not care whether she played in what she called the “popcorn matches” but hinted that she might have to change her look for an evening game. “Every silhouette is inspired by something different, so…,” she teased.
© 2024 AFP
