Naomi Osaka faces American Hailey Baptiste this afternoon at Louis Armstrong Stadium in the 2025 U.S. Open second round.
A former two-time U.S. Open champion, Osaka is playing her best tennis in years, with a ferocity and focus that suggests another deep run.
Just before this tournament, she reached the Canadian Open final, taking the first set with confidence, but then dropping the next two to the 18-year-old phenom, Victoria Mboko.
Osaka’s emotional resolve seemed to dissolve as the match went Mboko’s way. She’ll need to hold it all together as she pushes through this tournament.
Her 23-year-old opponent this afternoon, Baptiste, is having a breakthrough season: she reached the fourth round at the French Open, the third at Wimbledon, and just secured her first-ever U.S. Open main draw win by defeating Katerina Siniakova 7–5, 6–3.
Baptiste-Osaka Head-to-Head
Osaka leads the head-to-head 2–0, having defeated Baptiste earlier in the 2025 season at both the Auckland quarterfinals and the Miami Open. Both matches were won in three sets, reflecting the competitive play that Baptiste brings.
Prediction
Osaka in three sets. Despite Osaka’s advantage, Baptiste’s home crowd support and prior narrow defeats against her may push the match, but her momentum likely won’t outweigh Osaka’s power and experience. Expect three sets — and one tight one.
How to Watch Hailey Baptiste vs. Naomi Osaka
The Baptiste–Osaka match is expected to start at around 1:30 PM Eastern at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing.
Some of the match may air live on ESPN as part of its whip-around coverage. ESPN’s television broadcast streams live on the ESPN app and website.
A dedicated match stream is available to ESPN+ subscribers. A standalone subscription to the service starts at $11.99/month.
It will air live on ESPN, with streaming available via the ESPN app and ESPN+, providing a dedicated match feed
Baptiste vs. Osaka
Date: Thursday, August 28, 2025
Expected Start Time: 1:30 PM Eastern
Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing, NY
Court: Louis Armstrong Stadium
TV: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN app and website, ESPN+ (dedicated match stream)
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