Naomi Osaka overcame a turbulent second set to secure her place in the third round of the US Open on Thursday. The Japanese star defeated Katerina Siniakova in a hard-fought three-set encounter at Flushing Meadows, maintaining her momentum at the final major tournament of the season.

Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, entered the Arthur Ashe Stadium court wearing a striking white dress detailed with embroidered tennis racquets. She quickly took control of the match, claiming the opening set in thirty minutes without dropping a major gear.

The thirteenth seed continued her dominance into the second set, grabbing a service break to establish a 4-2 advantage. However, her performance deteriorated rapidly as unforced errors began to mount, leading to a flurry of consecutive service breaks that allowed Siniakova to steal the momentum. Osaka failed to serve out the match at 5-3, ultimately surrendering four straight games to drop the set.

Seeking to halt the slide, Osaka took a brief bathroom break between sets to clear her head. The tactical pause proved effective, as the former world-class contender rediscovered her composure and seized control of the decider. She dominated the third set by winning six of the final seven games, closing out the contest with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 scoreline after just over two hours on court.

Reflecting on the match in her post-match interview, Osaka admitted she had been overly harsh on herself after letting the second set slip away. She credited her brief exit from the court with helping her reset mentally and refocus on competing without regrets.

The victory marks a significant milestone for the 28-year-old, making her only the second Japanese woman in the Open era to achieve eighty singles match wins across all Grand Slam tournaments. It also represents the first time since 2018 that Osaka has reached the third round at all four major championships within the same calendar year. She will face Belgian twenty-third seed Elise Mertens in the next round.

Meanwhile, fellow former tournament champion Iga Swiatek enjoyed a much more straightforward progression through the draw. The Polish star, who captured the US Open title in 2022, defeated Argentina's Nadia Podoroska in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. Swiatek advances to a third-round fixture against Czech competitor Marie Bouzkova.

Elsewhere in the tournament, American veteran Madison Keys produced a miraculous escape to avoid a shock exit. The twenty-second seed fought off five match points against Hungary's Anna Bondar, overcoming a double break deficit in the final set. Keys capitalized on a series of late double faults from her opponent before prevailing in a dramatic ten-point deciding tie-break to seal a 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 victory.

Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC Sport. Read the original report at BBC Sport.