Naomi Osaka is back in the French Open third round for the first time in seven years. She beat Croatia’s Donna Vekic 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 on Thursday, a straight-sets win that moved her one step deeper into Roland-Garros and kept her latest Paris run alive.
The result matters because Osaka has spent the week showing both form and flair. Before her opening match at the Roland-Garros Complex, she removed a ceremonial black skirt and sleeveless beaded bodice to reveal a sequined gold playing dress, then described it as “very couture,” saying it reminded her of the Eiffel Tower at night when it is sparkly. She won that match too, then followed it with another victory in the second round, giving the fashion reveal a longer stage than most pre-match entrances get.
That is the part of Osaka’s game that keeps drawing attention in the first place. She is a four-time Grand Slam champion and has long treated tournament style as part of her public image, from red roses in her ponytail and a Labubu named Billie Jean Bling at the U.S. Open last year to the tie-dye turquoise-and-green look she wore in January at the Australian Open. But the clothes only matter if the tennis holds up, and that was not always a safe bet after she had to withdraw from Melbourne with an abdominal injury suffered during a three-set win over Sorana Cîrstea.
Paris has offered a cleaner line back toward her old level. Osaka reached the women’s singles semifinals at the U.S. Open last year, upsetting Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova before losing to Amanda Anisimova in a tight three-set match, and her French Open start this week has now added another clear sign that her return to form is taking shape after she gave birth to her 2-year-old daughter.
Now comes the part that will decide whether this Paris run becomes more than a stylish footnote. Osaka was scheduled to play teenager Iva Jovic on Saturday, and the next outfit, like the next round, depends on whether she keeps winning. If she does, the gold dress may be remembered as the opening note to a deeper French Open campaign. If she does not, it becomes one more vivid detail from a tournament she did not finish.
