After walking onto the court with her Labubu charm dangling from her racket bag, Naomi Osaka was all smiles as she reached the U.S. Open third round for the first time since 2021. The Japanese 23rd seed defeated American Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 6-1 on Thursday, completing the match in just 70 minutes.
The crystal-encrusted, racket-wielding Labubu charm—nicknamed “Arthur Flash” in homage to the late tennis pioneer Arthur Ashe—grabbed nearly as much attention as Osaka’s powerful forehand winners.
“I was just really trying to focus and not give her any free points and just be positive,” Osaka said. She previously showcased another bejeweled Labubu, nicknamed “Billie Jean Bling” after retired legend Billie Jean King, during her first-round victory over Belgian Greet Minnen.
Osaka’s collection of Labubus—Pop Mart’s viral “ugly-cute” dolls—began as a joke, she admitted. Yet, the fan-favorite charms have given her something to smile about after years of disappointment in New York.
In 2021, she exited the tournament in a tearful third-round loss, which preceded an extended mental health break. In 2022, back issues forced her out in the first round, while a second-round defeat in 2024 left her bluntly telling reporters, “My heart dies every time I lose.”
This year, however, Osaka has shown glimpses of her winning form. She reached the Montreal final earlier this month and, against Baptiste, fired down four aces and 13 winners in a dominant performance.
Osaka admitted feeling nervous during her first-round match on Tuesday but said she has learned to control her emotions. “I made progress in my attitude, which is the one thing that I really wanted to work on,” she said. “Today I just really tried to be positive even if she hit a crazy winner or did something incredible, and I tried to be very stable.”
Osaka will next face the winner of the match between 15th seed Daria Kasatkina and Kamilla Rakhimova.
-Reuters
