Naomi Osaka shows off another fashion creation before reaching 3rd round at Wimbledon
LONDON (AP) — Naomi Osaka had a new look to show off before winning her second-round match at Wimbledon.
Osaka, whose fashion reveals have become an event of their own at Grand Slam tournaments, wore a less elaborate outfit for her walk-on than the “Kill Bill” inspired kimono for her opening-round match Monday.
This all-white outfit featured a wide belt and a long train behind her. It drew plenty of attention as she made the walk from the locker room to No. 2 Court, trailed by photographers and fans wanting to take their own photos. The four-time major winner took off the latest ensemble as she began warming up for her match against qualifier Anastasia Gasanova on Wednesday.
She went on to quickly dispatch Gasanova 6-3, 6-2.
“I'm just trying to mix it up a little bit,” Osaka said about her outfit, adding she had been worried that a loss might have ruined her daughter Shai's third birthday on Thursday.
“I just wanted to be here for longer, I didn't want to make her get on a plane on her birthday,” Osaka said.
Osaka's match was among the early starts on the outside courts as the second round got underway.
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka soon followed her into the third round, beating McCartney Kessler 6-1, 7-6 (9) on No. 1 Court.
Sabalenka converted her third match point in the tiebreaker after saving two set points.
“She really tested me today and I'm super happy to have passed the test,” said Sabalenka, who will next play Jelena Ostapenko.
Men's No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner, who came from a set down twice to win in five sets in the first round, had a more comfortable victory Wednesday. Sinner beat Nuno Borges 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the first match on Centre Court.
It wasn't entirely straightforward for the Italian, though, as he had to break back for 5-5 when Borges served for the second set, before winning in just over 2 1/2 hours.
“Second set was very, very tough,” Sinner said.
Other winners included French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli, No. 17 Frances Tiafoe and No. 21 Tommy Paul.
Next up on Centre Court was women's French Open winner Mirra Andreeva facing 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova before Novak Djokovic takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas.
On Tuesday, Serena Williams returned to Centre Court but lost in three sets to Maya Joint in her first singles match in nearly four years. Williams, who tweaked her knee in the match, still hopes to play doubles with sister Venus later in the week.
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