New York, Aug 27 (AP) – Naomi Osaka made a striking impression in her U.S. Open first-round match, both with her tennis and her unique style.
Arriving on the court Tuesday, the two-time U.S. Open champion sported a vibrant ensemble, complete with sparkly red roses woven into her ponytail to complement her red outfit. She also had a matching Labubu she affectionately named Billie Jean Bling.
Osaka, seeded 23rd from Japan, put on an impressive performance, defeating Greet Minnen 6-3, 6-4.
The design process for her crystalized Nike bubble hem skirt began well in advance. The intricate details of the hairpiece, later removed for the match, came into play more recently.
“It was really elaborate because the crystals are really hard to do on a performance outfit,” Osaka explained. “I just thought it would be really fun to do a New York under the lights. I’m glad that my first match was a night match because this outfit was really fun to play in. This is my night outfit, so hopefully, I’ll wear my day outfit next time.”
A few weeks ago, she discussed the ponytail idea with her stylist.
“I was like, ‘Do you think this is possible?’ Maybe it was two weeks ago,” she shared. “Yeah, we kind of just tossed ideas around. Obviously, the outcome is way better than I could have imagined.”
However, it wasn’t quite suited for tennis.
“I did always know I was going to take the hair off because it is really heavy,” Osaka admitted. “There were a couple of times that I played in braids, and even that was kind of borderline. So yeah, I just did it for the presentation.”
(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
AloJapan.com