Glittering Osaka edges Jovic to prolong French Open run

PARIS: Naomi Osaka continued to shine in the City of Light as she beat American teenager Iva Jovic 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, in the French Open third round on Saturday.

On Court Suzanne Lenglen, the Japanese star once again made an eye-catching entry, wearing a gold jacket and a voluminous gold train, an outfit, bracketed by pink tennis sneakers and a black sponsor’s visor.

She shed the outer layers to play in another variation of her gold tennis dress, which shone in the blazing sun of the fading Paris heatwave.

After the match, Osaka refused to reveal if she had more outfits lined up in her hotel room.

“I think it’s a surprise every time,” she said.

The No. 16 seed continued what is already her longest Roland Garros run.

“I was a lot calmer than in my first matches,” said Osaka, who has won the Australian and US Opens twice each.

“In a slam the further I get the calmer I am. It such an honour to be here. It’s the furthest I have ever been here.”

She will next face either women’s No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or unseeded Australian Daria Kasatkina.

In a match dominated by the serve, Osaka gained the decisive break in the 10th game of the third set. 

Jovic, seeded 17, opened the game with a 162kph ace, but after that, faltered when Osaka returned, finding the net twice and then hitting long on the first match point.

The players exchanged breaks early in the first set and midway through the second before both went to tiebreaks.

Osaka edged the first. Jovic, 18, raced away to win in the second.

The 28-year-old Osaka said her serve had been crucial against her young opponent.

“I am really glad it was working,” said Osaka. “Against some players you need to put your serve in and she was very aggressive on my second serve.”