New York – Naomi Osaka continued to impress with her style and staying power at the U.S. Open on Saturday, as the Japanese 13th seed shrugged off a late Achilles problem to beat Belgian Elise Mertens 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 to reach the fourth round. For her latest eye-catching walk-on look, the four-time major champion blended boardroom and locker room aesthetics in a grey checked blazer-hoodie and wide-leg pants, putting a tailored twist on traditional prematch attire.
She looked to be on course for a business-like win after the first set but was dragged into a battle in the third, where she had to fight through the Achilles issue to advance. I feel I’ve done a lot of things in order to make it better, but maybe the time off wasn’t enough. I’m not really sure what the reason is, but the medical timeout was to address that.
Osaka pushed the 23rd seed hard at the start of the next set with some heavy hitting from the baseline before pouncing with a break in the third game, only to surrender the lead by dropping the next two games. Thank you so much, but honestly, I’m shocked I won. I’m not going to lie.” After leveling the match to force a decider, Mertens capitalized on several unforced errors by a frustrated Osaka to gain the upper hand, but there would be another momentum shift in the match after a medical timeout for the Japanese player.
I wanted to play well in front of you. I’m just that glad I have the opportunity to play another match. Rybakina booked her spot by avenging her French Open defeat against Yuliia Starodubtseva with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 win over the unseeded Ukrainian.
Rybakina now just needs two wins — to reach the semifinals — to be assured of supplanting Aryna Sabalenka atop the world rankings — even if Sabalenka wins a third straight U.S. I need to focus on my next match and not think about it.” In other matches, Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala of the Philippines put their friendship aside for three hours before the 18-year-old American prevailed 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 at Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the fourth round. Jovic’s victory was a welcome bright spot on a difficult day for American tennis, with Taylor Fritz, Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova among the players who were eliminated.
Ranked a career-high No. 14, Jovic had never gone beyond the second round in two previous U.S. Open appearances, but she has now reached the last 16 at three Grand Slams this season. Her victory set up an all-American fourth-round clash with No. 4 seed Coco Gauff, who advanced earlier on Saturday by beating Spain’s Cristina Busca.
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