A first set in half an hour, then trouble
Naomi Osaka opened the day session on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday. She left with a place in the next round and not much comfort. The Japanese beat Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 after letting a set slip from her grip.
The opener took 30 minutes. Osaka broke the Czech’s serve, held her own and wrapped it up 6-2. What followed looked like a formality. Up 4-2 and then 5-3 in the second set, Siniakova, ranked 42nd in the world, appeared done.
She was not. The Czech reeled off four games in a row to turn the set 7-5. Osaka lost her rhythm and suddenly found herself in a decider she had not planned for.
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A one-sided third set
The response was immediate. Osaka took control from the opening game and did not drop another until the fifth. 6-1, and through.
It is the second straight match in which the world No. 13 has had to scrap. She was pushed hard in round one too, in Tuesday’s night session. Two uneasy starts for a player who lifted the trophy at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and 2020.
Mertens, and a head-to-head Osaka leads 6-3
Elise Mertens is the next hurdle. The Belgian, seeded 20th, knows Osaka well. The two have met nine times on tour, the Japanese leading the head-to-head 6-3.
Their last meeting came in early August in Montreal. Osaka blew Mertens away in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. The form line still points her way, but Thursday’s display left the door slightly ajar.
Osaka is 13th in the world with 2846 points. Mertens has 2165. The gap is real without being huge, and the Belgian has a habit of dragging opponents into long rallies. Exactly the sort of battle that cost Osaka a set against Siniakova.
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