Key Takeaways
- Naomi Osaka defeated Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 in the second round of the US Open.
- Osaka revealed she turned to memories of her 2021 Australian Open final to regroup mentally for the deciding set, noting, “you can just pull from your memory bank for every certain situation.”
- Addressing crowd disruptions and modern audiences, Osaka stressed that “if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport” and follow tennis etiquette.
Resetting after letting the second set slip away
Naomi Osaka was forced to dig deep to secure her spot in the third round of the US Open, navigating a rollercoaster clash against Czech opponent Katerina Siniakova. Osaka claimed a 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory, overcoming a mid-match lapse to deliver a focused deciding set.
Speaking to reporters following the contest, the former world No. 1 admitted that her own expectations made the encounter harder than it needed to be. “Um, yeah. I mean, obviously the match was really difficult. 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,” Osaka explained. “So, in the third set I just tried to do what I could do and thankfully I was able to win.”
Osaka had appeared in firm control during the early stages, winning the opener convincingly before losing her grip on the proceedings late in the second set. “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.”
Relying on experience and memory banks
Now a tour veteran a decade after first competing in Grand Slam qualifying, Osaka explained that her extensive history on big stages gives her a reservoir of confidence when matches go the distance. “I mean on my end I’m quite fortunate to have a lot of high quality matches that went in my favor. 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,” she said. “And then it’s just like you can just pull from your memory bank for every certain situation that you need to get finished.”
Reflecting on where the second set went astray, Osaka acknowledged that she rushed her opportunities and allowed nerves to creep in. “I felt like I definitely had a lot of opportunities that I was a little bit too frantic. And I was thinking too much about closing. I feel like if I played point by point, I wouldn’t have made some of the decisions that I did,” she assessed.
The two-time champion also pointed out issues with her service rhythm during nervous spells, admitting she found herself catching the ball toss frequently before mistiming deliveries. “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.”
Managing crowd etiquette and growing tennis
Osaka was also asked about crowd distractions and the influx of social media influencers attending matches, an issue that drew attention during her opening-round contest. The Japanese star acknowledged that external noise had been an issue on court. “I tell people I normally just focus on the match and the court, but there was a moment where there was like people like shouting and stuff and you could hear it quite clearly. And I think it bothered my opponent too,” she noted.
When addressing how the sport should balance expanding its reach while preserving on-court respect, Osaka emphasized the necessity of educating newcomers. “I think obviously if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport. And I feel like it’s common courtesy to like read up on the sport, especially like the etiquette,” Osaka stated. “I feel like it could be a good thing for people to make the sport of tennis popular to their specific audience, but I think it has to be managed a lot better, especially in the situation like my first round match.”
She added: “I just think it has to be in a way that everyone knows the rules and the etiquette.”
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
Currently the world no.13, Osaka achieved a compiled 27-10 record in 2026. Osaka is playing at the U.S. Open where she overcame 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 face the world no.20 Elise Mertens in the 3rd round. Their current record is 6-3 for Osaka.
Osaka won 7 titles in her career: all of them conquered on hard courts. (See the list of her titles)
Katerina Siniakova in 2026
At the moment ranked no.42, Siniakova played her last match on the 3rd of September when she was defeated by world no.13 Naomi Osaka 6-2 5-7 6-1 in the 2nd round of the U.S. Open (draw).
Until now, during this year the Czech has achieved an overall 17-17 match record.
Naomi Osaka and Katerina Siniakova clashed against each other 4 times. Their current record is 3-1 for Osaka.
