Naomi Osaka recovers from Montreal ‘shame’ to set up chance of US Open run | US Open Tennis 2025

Three weeks after one of the most disappointing evenings of his career in Montreal, where positivity surrounding his progress was overshadowed by the controversy, Naomi Osaka provided other evidence that she was on the right track while she reached the third round of the United States with an effective 6-3, 6-1 victory over Hailey Baptiste in the United States.

Despite the most recent player to win several American open titles, Osaka returned to New York this year in a curious position. Earlier this month, she won six games en route to her first WTA 1000 final since he gave birth to his daughter, Shai, then returning from maternity leave in January 2024.

What should have been an important and long -awaited breakthrough for Osaka turned into a painful evening after she collapsed in the final against Victoria Mboko, then was widely criticized for having omitted to congratulate the 18 -year -old woman in her finalist speech. Osaka said she had contacted Mboko thereafter, who told her that she had not noticed Osaka’s omission.

Instead of thinking positively about its excellent performances, Osaka said that she had spent the days after the transformation of her guilt in Montreal. “I really felt bad and, as, ashamed,” she said. “I think I felt worse for my team because we couldn’t really celebrate properly. They were with me all this time, so they knew how great the final was. ”

While many thought that these difficulties could have interrupted Osaka’s momentum on the field, she performed well in her two games this week, hitting the ball proper while presenting her improved movement. She has now won eight of her last nine games since Tomasz Wiktorowski’s hiring, the former IGA Swiattek coach. She will face Daria Kasatkina, the 15th seeded, or Kamilla Rakhimova as she tries to reach the fourth round of a Grand Chelem tournament for the first time since her first victory for the Australian Open in 2021.

After her match, Osaka also plunged into the debate on Jelena Ostapenko’s comments towards Taylor Townsend after the controversial end of their match on Wednesday. Townsend did not apologize after a lucky net cord, which prompted Ostapenko to accuse him of having “no education” and “no class”.

Osaka said, “It is really difficult to say, I think that is obviously one of the worst things you can say to a black tennis player in a majority white sport. And granted, I know that Taylor and I know how hard she worked and I know how intelligent she is, so she is the most distant thing from not educated or something like that.

“But if you really ask me questions about the story of Ostapenko, I don’t think it’s the craziest thing she said. I’m going to be honest. I think it’s a bad timing and the worst person you could have said. And I don’t know if she knows the story in America.”

Elsewhere, the male seeded, Jannik Sinner, continued to take momentum in his defense of the title by assaulting in the third round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory against the Australian Australian Australian Popyrin. IGA Swiatek, on the other hand, held his nerve at the end of an intense battle to close an victory 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 after an impressive fight by Suzan Lamens.

Venus Williams returned to the court to win a victory in the doubles, associating with the finalist in simple 2021 Leylah Fernandez to defeat the sixth seeded Lyudmyla Kichenok and Ellen Perez 7-6 (4), 6-3.