Tennis-Osaka tones down outfit and beats Cirstea to reach Australian Open third round

MELBOURNE, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Naomi Osaka pared down her show-stopping jellyfish-inspired outfit and overcame a second-set wobble to beat Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-3 4-6 6-2 in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday.

In her first-round win over Antonia Ruzic this week, Osaka walked onto the court carrying a white parasol and wearing a veil and broad-brimmed hat.

The outfit, which also featured a marine-themed top complete with pastel yellow tassels on the sleeves, made waves at the season’s opening Grand Slam, with top men’s and women’s players commending the bold fashion choice.

Asked if she had expected the response to her outfit, Osaka said: “Honestly, not really.

“For me, it’s just something fun I love to do on the court. I don’t really talk that much but I like to express myself through clothes.”

The four-times Grand Slam champion’s entrance on Thursday was tame by comparison as she ditched the accessories, though fans at the Margaret Court Arena made up for it by wearing replicas of the hat and veil.

“I’m really glad that you guys loved it. You guys look really cool by the way,” Osaka said to the fans.

“I grew up with Serena and Venus (Williams), (Maria) Sharapova, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and for me it’s a great honour if there’s a kid out there somewhere that comes and plays this tournament and remembers me in a way.”

HARD-FOUGHT WIN

Osaka, who won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, made a shaky start against Cirstea, dropping the opening game on her serve and committing early errors.

She soon shook off the cobwebs and broke to level at 2-2, before breaking again for a 5-3 lead and then defending a break point to hold serve and take the opening set.

The 35-year-old Cirstea, who will retire at the end of the year, again took an early lead in the second set and though Osaka levelled at 2-2, the Romanian broke in a decisive moment to force a final set.

Osaka, the 16th seed, took a break between sets and then another medical timeout while leading 3-1 in the decider, but any concern was short-lived.

With her movement seemingly hampered, the Japanese former world number one responded by dialling up the intensity of her ground strokes and overwhelming Cirstea to seal the win.

The final set was also tinged with some drama as Cirstea took issue with Osaka pumping herself up by shouting “come on” between the Romanian’s first and second serves.

“(There were) apparently a lot of ‘come ons’ that she was angry about. I mean I tried to play well. I think I hit a lot of unforced errors but I tried my best,” Osaka said.

“She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open, so sorry she was mad about it.”

Osaka faces Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis in the third round.

(Reporting by Aadi Nair in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)