Glittering Osaka edges Jovic to prolong Roland Garros run
Naomi Osaka continued to shine in the City of Light as she beat American teenager Iva Jovic 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, in the Roland Garros third round on Saturday.
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On Court Suzanne Lenglen, the Japanese star once again made an eye-catching entry, wearing a gold jacket and a voluminous gold train, an outfit, bracketed by pink tennis sneakers and a black sponsor's visor.
She shed the outer layers to play in another variation of her gold tennis dress, which shone in the blazing sun of the fading Paris heatwave.
After the match, Osaka refused to reveal if she had more outfits lined up in her hotel room.
Osaka passes the Jovic test to reach a first Roland-Garros Round of 16 ✅#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/vTIR4p5yqa — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 30, 2026
"I think it's a surprise every time," she said.
The No 16 seed continued what is already her longest Roland Garros run.
"I was a lot calmer than in my first matches," said Osaka, who has won the Australian and US Opens twice each.
"In a slams the further I get the calmer I am. It's such an honour to be here. It's the furthest I have ever been here."
She will next face either women's No 1 Aryna Sabalenka or unseeded Australian Daria Kasatkina.
Naomi Osaka is through to the round of 16 for the first time in Paris 👋
Catch up on the highlights from the No.16 seed's win over Iva Jovic right here. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/kHvIa17QjZ — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 30, 2026
In a match dominated by the serve, Osaka gained the decisive break in the 10th game of the third set.
Jovic, seeded 17, opened the game with a 162kph ace, but after that, faltered when Osaka returned, finding the net twice and then hitting long on the first match point.
The players exchanged breaks early in the first set and midway through the second before both went to tiebreaks.
Osaka edged the first. Jovic, 18, raced away to win in the second.
The 28-year-old Osaka said her serve had been crucial against her young opponent.
"I am really glad it was working," said Osaka. "Against some players, you need to put your serve in and she was very aggressive on my second serve."
SHNAIDER PREVAILS
Russian Diana Shnaider beat Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova in a match overshadowed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The 23rd-ranked Shnaider won 7-5, 6-1 to go into the fourth round after the build-up to the match had been dominated by Oliynykova, who is ranked 65th, accusing her opponent of "taking money" from a "company financing war crimes".
The players did not shake hands after the match.
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