Tennis star Naomi Osaka was dressed to frill at the US Open.
The four-time Grand Slam winner warmed up for her first round match wearing a white top with oversized bow and a green skirt with frills.
The 26-year-old changed into a more practical outfit for the game but still showed off bows on her skirt and trainers.
The fashion choice proved an inspiration, with Osaka defeating 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 6-2.
Osaka, who won the US Open in 2018 and 2022 but missed last year’s tournament after giving birth to her daughter, explained why she chose such a bold outfit.
“Well, I chose the colour like at least a year ago,” Osaka said. “I definitely love to be involved in everything I do, whether it’s fashion or anything else. But I feel like being able to be a part of my tennis outfits gives me, I would say, a different strength.
“Especially the US Open outfits, I feel like they are a little bit more flamboyant. When I was putting on my outfit today, I was, like, ah, I hope this isn’t too much!
“Because I had the tutu and then I had the bow jacket and it was green, I feel like everyone was staring at me funny. And then I put the headphones on, that was a real killer.”
“I was, like, you know what, embrace this maximalist style. And then it made me feel better, another player came up to me and asked to take a picture. I hope it was a positive picture, it wasn’t, like, ‘Oh, my God, look at her.’ Yeah, I think for me when I put on the outfit it’s almost like a super suit, so I try to channel that.”Meanwhile, Britain’s Dan Evans produced an astonishing comeback to win the longest match in US Open history as he beat Russia’s Karen Khachanov in five hours and 35 minutes.
“I’ve got a bad headache now. It was a hell of a match. I just want to go to bed,” he said afterwards.
Fellow Brits Katie Boulter and Jack Draper also won to make it into the second round but Emma Raducanu, who unexpectedly won the title in 2021 as a teenage qualifier, crashed out.
