Naomi Osaka started her US Open campaign on a high note, defeating Germany’s Greet Minnen 6-3, 6-4 at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday. The former World No. 1 stormed her way into the match with seven aces and not a single double fault.
Addressing the media after the match, the current World No. 24 was asked what her least favorite moment was. She replied, "My least favorite part of the match was that I could have had a better attitude. I was just very stressed. It was the first round, and this tournament means a lot to me, so I really wanted to win. But I just wish I had thought more about the process rather than the result. Still, I'm glad I was able to win.”
The Japanese player entered the tournament seeded 23, marking the first time she had been seeded in a Grand Slam since the 2022 Australian Open. Naomi Osaka had mentioned multiple times in the past that she would prefer to be seeded.
"Honestly, it’s about the protection [from higher-ranked players in the earlier rounds]. I was hitting with [Karolina] Muchova the other day and I was like, ‘Thank God I don't have to play you in the first or second round.’ And she was laughing about it too. You definitely don't want to play the big names early on. I've always been the type of person that kind of eases into it. But you have to earn that, right? Honestly, on any given day, I'm not scared to play anyone. It's just I'd like to get my feet wet first before diving in,” Naomi replied, smiling.
Naomi Osaka’s next opponent is Hailey Baptiste, who brushed past the challenge of Katerina Siniakova in straight sets (7-5, 6-3) in her first round. The two had earlier faced each other in the Miami Open in March, where Osaka came out on top in a three-set thriller (7-6, 3-6, 6-4).
“She's a really good player. That's all I can think of right now. She’s able to do basically anything. And I think it's also going to be tough because she's American. The last time [I played against her] was really difficult in Miami. All I can do is try my best and see what the result is,” Naomi told reporters when asked about Baptiste’s challenges.
Naomi Osaka entered the tournament after finishing as a runner-up in the 2025 Canadian Open. She overcame the challenges of higher-ranked players like Clara Tauson (World No. 14), Elina Svitolina (World No. 15), Jelena Ostapenko (World No. 23), and Liudmila Samsonova (World No. 20) before falling prey to Canada’s Victoria Mboko.
When asked if her recent run could prove to be an advantage in the 2025 US Open, Osaka replied, “It feels good to have won quite a few matches against some really good players, especially on a surface that I love. So it does give me confidence coming into this tournament. But I also know the Grand Slam is a completely different beast, and there are so many different factors that come into play. So I just have to keep a pretty level head about that.”
Naomi Osaka was knocked out of the second round in the 2024 US Open before being on maternity leave in 2023. In 2022, she lost to Leylah Fernandez in the third round, failing to defend her title. Let’s see how long she can go this time.
