Osaka extended her deepest journey at the French Open by defeating American teenager Eva Jovic in a thrilling three-set match.
naomi Osaka continued her shine in the City of Light as she defeated American teenager Eva Jovic 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 in the third round of the French Open on Saturday.
On Court Suzanne Lenglen, the Japanese star once again made a glamorous entrance, wearing a gold jacket and a dress with a heavy gold train, pink tennis sneakers and a black sponsor visor.
She shed the outer layers to sport another variation of her gold tennis dress, gleaming in the bright sunlight of the fading Paris heatwave.
After the match, Osaka declined to say whether there were any more costumes stored in her hotel room.
“I think it’s a surprise every time,” she said.
The No. 16 seed continued his longest Roland Garros run.
“I was much calmer than in my first matches,” said Osaka, who won the Australian and US Open twice each.
“The further I go in a Slam, the calmer I become. It’s such an honor to be here. This is the furthest I’ve ever been.”
She will next face women’s No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or unseeded Australian Daria Kasatkina.
In a match dominated by service, Osaka earned the decisive break in the 10th game of the third set.
17th-seeded Jovic opened the game with a serve of 162 kph but then faltered when Osaka broke back, finding the net twice and then hitting long on the first match point.
The players exchanged breaks at the beginning of the first set and midway through the second set, before both went into a tiebreak.
Osaka took first place. The 18-year-old Jovic cruised to victory in the second.
The 28-year-old Osaka said her serve was crucial against her young opponent.
“I’m really happy it worked out,” Osaka said. “Against some players you have to hold your serve and she was very aggressive on my second serve,”
