Naomi Osaka is preparing for a blockbuster second round match against former US Open semi-finalist Karolina Muchova.
Adorned from head-to-toe in green and white frills and bows, Naomi Osaka’s opening round win against tenth seed Jelena Ostapenko was as flamboyant as her outfit.
The former world number one didn’t make an unforced error in the first set in what ended up being a nostalgic outing at Flushing Meadows.
Having won twice in New York, Osaka’s extended break from tennis over the past few years has offered up scant opportunity to truly analyse her title prospects this year.
Next opponent Muchova has also seen a lengthy stint away from the match court, with a wrist injury sustained last year only seeing her return to the tour in June.
With convincing wins for both players in their openers, the jury is still out on who might come through this one.
Naomi Osaka names Ons Jabeur as the nicest player on the WTA tour
The blistering shot-making followed by a sheepish grin after the match has always marked Osaka out as a fan favorite on tour.
Having recently beaten Ons Jabeur in Toronto, Osaka emphasised then how friendly and jovial the Tunisian is off and often on the court.
Certainly a slightly temperamental on-court demeanour is something that obstructed Jabeur very early in her career, with a mentality shift having since seen her accelerate to the top of the WTA.
In celebration of Jabeur’s recent birthday, Osaka told Tennis.com: “She’s probably the nicest person I’ve ever met on tour. I first interacted with her because we did WTA Rising Stars. I don’t even know how many years ago that was, but I was very introverted, way more introverted than I am now. She made it an effort to come talk to me every day, and I’ll never forget that.
“I’ll always have so much love in my heart for her. I think she just is the type that always wants to make sure everyone else is okay.”
Us Open 19th seed Marta Kostyuk reiterated Osaka’s sentiments: “I think Ons is one of the inspirational players because she stands for what she believes in, and I think this is always a very strong quality.
“It’s really nice to see her succeed, playing three Grand Slam finals. I know she’s sad that she couldn’t win one yet, but yeah, I really hope for her that she can win one day and all the best. She’s really a nice person.”
Why is Ons Jabeur not at the US Open?
After Jabeur skipped the Olympics citing the swift surface changes as a risk to her pre-existing injury, the Tunisian went straight to the North American hard courts.
However, after her defeat to Osaka in the first round, Jabeur pulled out of Cincinnati after sustaining a new injury to her shoulder.
With Jabeur deeming herself not quite fit to compete at the US Open, the heartbroken former world number two is not the only high-profile player missing the event.
Jabeur’s Wimbledon final conqueror Marketa Vondrousova also pulled out of the US Open late in the day having undergone shoulder surgery.
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