Tennis-Gold-sequined Osaka survives three-set scare against teenager Jovic

Tennis-Gold-sequined Osaka survives three-set scare against teenager Jovic

The Star Online - Sport·2026-05-30 21:01

PARIS, May 30 (Reuters) - ⁠Naomi Osaka dazzled with an all-gold outfit but ⁠had to dig deep for a hard-fought 7-6(5) ‌6-7(3) 6-4 victory over American teenager Iva Jovic on Saturday to reach her first-ever French Open fourth round.

• Playing in a gold sequined ​top and skirt - her latest fashion ⁠statement in Paris - Osaka ⁠found it hard going from the start, with the ⁠American ‌teenager dulling her opponent's sparkle in her first Grand Slam third-round appearance.

• The 18-year-old Jovic ⁠may have found herself in unknown tournament territory ​but looked ‌completely at easeon Court Suzanne Lenglen as she pushed ⁠the former ​world number one to a first-set tiebreak.

• Osaka, seeded 16th, had wasted two set points at 6-5 and needed ⁠three more before subduing the American ​7-5 in the tiebreak.

• It was a similar story in the second set, with a break apiece and Jovic winning ⁠the second tiebreak to level.

• The third set was again on a razor's edge, with Jovic refusing to buckle and matching Osaka's power blow for blow. But ​the Japanese carved out a match ⁠point at 5-4 on the American's serve and converted ​it to move into the next ‌round.

• She will now play ​either top seed Aryna Sabalenka or Australian Daria Kasatkina.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann. Editing by Mark Potter)

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