Naomi Osaka continues to sparkle at the U.S. Open.
The two-time women’s champion here moved into the third round for the third time this year in Grand Slam events with a quick 6-3, 6-1 victory over unseeded American Hailey Baptiste in the Thursday afternoon session at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The 27-year-old Osaka will look to advance to the fourth round for the first time in eight major appearances since returning to the WTA Tour after taking the 2023 season off on maternity leave and to take care of her mental wellbeing.
The 23rd-seeded Osaka, who had ousted Greet Minnen in straight sets in her initial match this week, will face either Kamilla Rakhinova or No. 15 Daria Kasatkina in the next round.
After wearing a sparkling red dress for her opening match, Osaka came out in a sequined purple outfit for her afternoon match on Armstrong.
Osaka has now won all three head-to-head meetings with the 23-year-old Baptiste, who reached the fourth round at the French Open and third round at Wimbledon this year.
The 47th-ranked Baptiste landed just 48 percent of her first serves and committed 25 unforced errors and nine double faults in the 70-minute match, leading to five converted break points for Osaka.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
