Naomi Osaka survives rough second set to reach third round of US Open

Naomi Osaka is more than five years removed from winning the most recent of her four Grand Slam titles, but she is still benefiting from the memories of being the best in the world.

Osaka appeared in danger of making an early exit from Flushing Meadows after losing five of six games and committing 20 unforced errors in the second set of her second-round match against Katerina Siniakova, but the two-time U.S. Open champion closed strong to claim a 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory Thursday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I definitely had a couple opportunities in the second set and I think I was a little bit too hard on myself,” Osaka said. “So I took the bathroom break, regrouped a little, came back and just tried to have no regrets.

“I am able to pull from the matches that I’ve played in the past. I think obviously when it gets to the third set, I try to think of all of the matches I was able to pull through. … You can just pull from your memory bank for every certain situation that you need to get finished. I think that’s the best thing about being a more experienced player.”

Osaka, who wore an Allen Iverson-inspired outfit during the first round, extended the fashion show, sporting a custom Thom Browne white jacket and dress, embroidered with tennis rackets for her second-round match.

The No. 13 seed could enjoy several more opportunities in the spotlight, following last year’s semifinal run in Queens and a quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon in July.

This is the first year since 2018 that Osaka has reached the third round of all four Grand Slams. She will next face No. 23 Elise Mertens.

“Here, obviously I’ve had a lot of good memories,” Osaka said. “I hope to continue making them.”

Serena and Venus Williams will be in primetime Friday night, reuniting as a doubles team at the U.S. Open for the first time in four years to face No. 14 seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Maya Joint at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The sisters — who won two of their 14 Grand Slam doubles titles in New York — most recently played together at the Cincinnati Open in August, losing in the first round to Peyton Stearns and Marta Kostyuk.

Serena, 44, returned to Queens last week for the first time since 2022, playing two mixed doubles matches with Carlos Alcaraz.

Venus, 46, was eliminated in the first round of the singles draw after receiving a wild card.

Novak Djokovic was just the beginning.

The men’s draw — already without injured former U.S. Open champion and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner — lost two more big names Thursday as No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime lost to Karen Khachanov, and No. 13 Lorenzo Musetti fell to Australian Dane Sweeny, who advanced to the third round at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.

Entering Thursday night, the men’s side had lost six of its top 16 seeds. Meanwhile, the women’s draw had seen only one player inside the top 20 (Belinda Bencic) eliminated.

No. 5 Mirra Andreeva and No. 8 Iga Swiatek lost a combined seven games in their second-round wins, while No. 10 Amanda Anisimova defeated Lilli Tagger in three sets.