Key Takeaways
- Naomi Osaka defeated Katerina Siniakova 6-2 5-7 6-1 in the second round of the US Open after regaining her focus in the deciding set.
- Osaka said she draws upon past championship moments when pushed to three sets: “I literally only specifically think of the 2021 Australian Open final.”
- Addressing crowd behavior and influencer attendance, Osaka emphasized that “if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport.”
Naomi Osaka overcame a tough mid-match lapse to navigate her way into the third round of the US Open, securing a hard-fought 6-2 5-7 6-1 victory against Czech player Katerina Siniakova. While the former champion showed commanding form during stretches of the contest, she admitted that managing her own mental expectations was one of the biggest hurdles she had to clear on court.
“I mean, obvious obviously the match was really difficult,” Osaka explained in her post-match press conference. “I think on my end it was more like mentally I wanted to play perfectly and obviously that’s not going to happen every day. So, um, in the third set I I just tried to do what I could do and um, thankfully I was able to win.”
Overcoming the Second-Set Slip
After taking the opening set in comfortable fashion, Osaka found herself in a strong position before Siniakova staged a gritty comeback. Osaka conceded that she lost her grip on the momentum while looking too far ahead toward the finish line.
“I feel like today like the score line I wasn’t really paying attention too much in the second set but I do think that I was ahead and I kind of let it slip through my fingers,” she recalled. “So I was trying to tell myself in the third set like keep going and keep trying to take the opportunities.”
Reflecting further on how the match extended to a deciding set, Osaka acknowledged that patience would have served her better in key moments. “I think, you know, obviously she’s an amazing player, but I felt like I definitely had a lot of opportunities that I was a little bit too frantic,” she said. “And I was thinking too much about closing. I feel like if I played point by point, I wouldn’t have um made some of the decisions that I did.”
Relying on Experience and Past Grand Slam Battles
When the pressure built in the third set, Osaka relied on the reservoir of experience she has built over a decade at the highest level of the sport. Rather than ignoring previous tense encounters, she proactively taps into them when she needs to settle herself down.
“I mean on my end I’m quite fortunate to have a lot of highquality matches that went in my favor,” Osaka noted. “Especially like whenever I think of going into the third set and I need to regroup, I literally only specifically think of the 2021 Australian Open final.”
For Osaka, the ability to summon positive memories is one of the key benefits of longevity on tour. “And then it’s just like you can just pull from your memory bank for every certain situation that you need to get finished,” she said. “And I think that’s like the best thing about being a more experienced player.”
Navigating Crowd Etiquette and Atmosphere
The conversation also turned to fan behavior and outside distractions during matches, following discussions sparked by influencer attendance in the stands. Osaka pointed out that court noise has been particularly noticeable during this tournament, drawing frequent intervention from match officials.
“I mean, I was going to say today the umpire, she told everyone to quiet, like be quiet more than I’ve ever heard an umpire tell like a crowd to be quiet,” Osaka observed. While she acknowledged the value of welcoming new crowds to tennis, she emphasized the necessity of adhering to traditional spectator etiquette.
“I think obviously if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport,” Osaka said. “And I feel like it’s common courtesy to like read up on the sport, especially like the etiquette.”
She added: “I mean I I feel like it could be a good thing for people to make the sport of tennis popular to their specific audience, but I I think it has to be managed a lot better, especially in the situation like my first round match.”
Finding Her Rhythm Going Forward
Assessing her technical game, Osaka noted that her improved physical condition has altered her instincts, leading her to occasionally hesitate during rallies instead of stepping up to dictate play.
“I kind of have like a bad habit of wanting to watch what the other person does,” she said. “And like while that’s a good thing, sometimes I wish I would commit more to hitting the balls because there are certain rallies that I remember in my head from today that I could have probably pushed more, but I was waiting to see what she was doing.”
She also addressed visible nervousness during her service routine, admitting that ball tosses kept slipping away from her. “I felt like I was really nervous, so the ball kept rolling in my hand and then it just kept like going everywhere,” Osaka stated. “And I felt really bad for constantly catching the ball. So sometimes I would hit it even though it was in a bad position and then I’d like double fault.”
Despite the challenges, the multi-time major champion remains focused on fine-tuning her play for the upcoming rounds. As she put it, “Thankfully, I won my match, so I get another chance.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1JOahMah9g
WTA U.S. Open - Naomi Osaka's projected path
Osaka at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2026
At the moment ranked no.13, Osaka achieved a composed 28-10 win-loss record in 2026. Osaka is now playing at the U.S. Open where she toppled the world no.101 Anastasia Zakharova 7-6(6) 7-6 and the world no.42 Katerina Siniakova 6-2 5-7 6-1.
Naomi Osaka will compete against the world no.20 Elise Mertens in the 3rd round. Their record is 6-3 for Osaka.
The Japanese won 7 titles in her career: all of them conquered on hard courts. (See the list of her titles)
Katerina Siniakova in 2026
Currently the world no.42, Siniakova played her last match on the 3rd of September when she surrendered to world no.13 Naomi Osaka 6-2 5-7 6-1 in the 2nd round of the U.S. Open (draw).
Currently, during this season the Czech achieved a composed 17-18 match record.
Naomi Osaka and Katerina Siniakova faced off 4 times. Their actual record is 3-1 for Osaka.
