Naomi Osaka is through to the last 16 of the 2026 US Open, but getting there was anything but easy.
The four-time Grand Slam champion and No. 13 seed battled past Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 on Saturday at Louis Armstrong Stadium, surviving a tense third set to keep her bid for a third US Open championship alive.
The victory also continued a remarkable pattern for Osaka in New York this year: she has repeatedly found ways to win even when her best tennis has not been there.
Osaka Goes From “Boardroom Chic” to Survival Mode
Before the match even started, Osaka was once again generating attention for her fashion.
Her latest walk-on outfit blended a tailored, boardroom-inspired look with sportswear — a grey checked blazer-hoodie and wide-leg trousers — continuing the fashion-focused identity she has brought to this year’s tournament. Reuters noted that Osaka has increasingly combined tennis with distinctive pre-match looks.
But once the match began, the style show quickly turned into a fight.
Osaka raced into a 4-1 first-set lead and eventually secured the opening set 6-3 behind powerful serving. Mertens, however, refused to disappear.
The Belgian No. 23 seed broke back and eventually levelled the match by taking the second set 6-3.
Then came the real test.
Osaka Nearly Lost Control — Then Found Another Gear
The deciding set became increasingly uncomfortable for Osaka.
Mertens capitalized on Osaka’s errors and frustration, putting the Japanese star under serious pressure. At one point, Osaka even threw her racket to the floor.
A medical timeout added another layer of uncertainty before Osaka managed to regain her footing late in the match.
With the score tied at 5-5, Osaka produced the kind of clutch tennis that has defined her biggest moments in New York.
She fired a huge ace to move ahead 6-5, then attacked with her forehand to close out the match and secure her place in the fourth round.
Afterward, Osaka admitted she was surprised by how hard she had to fight.
“Honestly, I can’t believe I won this match.”
That reaction perhaps says as much about the match as the scoreline does.
This Wasn’t Osaka at Her Best — And That’s What Makes It Dangerous
Osaka’s first three matches in New York have not been straightforward.
She opened the tournament against Anastasia Zakharova with a 7-6(6), 7-6(3) victory, winning both sets in tiebreaks after allowing her opponent back into each set.
Against Katerina Siniakova in the second round, Osaka again found herself in trouble after dropping the second set. She ultimately recovered to win 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.
Now, against Mertens, Osaka once again needed three sets.
The difference is that she keeps winning.
And at a Grand Slam, particularly in the early rounds, that can be enormously important.
Osaka’s Resurgence Is Becoming Harder to Ignore
This US Open run is also part of a much larger comeback story.
The former world No. 1 has shown encouraging form throughout 2026. The Guardian noted that Osaka reached the fourth round at the French Open and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, where she defeated then-world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Her improvement has been particularly notable on surfaces that historically have not always produced her best results.
The 28-year-old is now showing that she can win matches even when she isn’t dominating from start to finish.
That resilience could become crucial as the US Open gets deeper.
A Potential Blockbuster Is Waiting in the Round of 16
Osaka’s reward is another major challenge.
She will face Elena Rybakina or Yuliia Starodubtseva in the fourth round, according to Reuters.
Rybakina, the No. 2 seed, entered the tournament as one of the leading contenders. She also arrived in New York with questions surrounding her fitness after withdrawing from Cincinnati because of a leg/Achilles concern, but she won her opening match convincingly.
A meeting with Rybakina would therefore be another major test of Osaka’s resurgence.
And it would add another chapter to a rivalry that has already produced high-profile Grand Slam battles.
The Bigger Story Isn’t Just About Fashion Anymore
Osaka’s outfits have generated plenty of headlines at this year’s tournament, including her Allen Iverson-inspired look earlier in the competition.
But beneath the fashion conversation is something more important.
Osaka is winning difficult matches again.
The four-time major champion won the US Open in 2018 and 2020, and she reached the semifinals in 2025. The current run gives her another opportunity to remind the tennis world why she was once one of the sport’s most dominant hard-court players.
The official US Open also noted that her second-round victory over Siniakova gave Osaka her 30th match win at Flushing Meadows and her 80th Grand Slam match victory.
Now she has another win to add to those numbers.
Why Osaka’s US Open Run Matters
The most intriguing part of Osaka’s campaign may be that she has yet to produce a completely dominant tournament.
Instead, she has repeatedly been tested — and repeatedly responded.
That matters because Grand Slam champions rarely get through two weeks without adversity.
Osaka has already shown she can:
- survive two tiebreaks against Zakharova;
- recover after losing a set to Siniakova;
- overcome frustration and physical concerns against Mertens;
- close out a deciding set under enormous pressure;
- and advance to the second week of a Grand Slam once again.
The next opponent could be significantly tougher.
But if Osaka can continue winning matches while still searching for her absolute best level, her US Open comeback story could become much bigger before the tournament is over.
The bottom line
Naomi Osaka is no longer simply trying to rediscover the player who won two US Open titles.
She is showing signs of becoming a more experienced version of that player — one capable of surviving ugly moments, resetting mentally and finding a way through.
And now, with the last 16 secured, the tournament enters the stage where survival alone may no longer be enough.
The real question is whether Osaka can turn these hard-fought escapes into another deep Grand Slam run.
WWC ONE MEDIA M.J.E
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