PARIS, May 30 – Naomi Osaka battled through a challenging three-set match to defeat American teenager Iva Jovic 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 6-4 on Saturday, advancing to her first French Open fourth round appearance.
The former world number one made headlines not just for her tennis but also for her eye-catching gold sequined ensemble, marking another bold fashion choice during her Paris campaign. However, the 18-year-old Jovic proved she wouldn’t be distracted by the glamour, delivering an impressive performance in her debut Grand Slam third-round match.
Despite being in uncharted tournament waters, Jovic appeared comfortable competing on Court Suzanne Lenglen, forcing the 16th-seeded Osaka into a first-set tiebreaker. Osaka had squandered two opportunities to close out the set at 6-5 before finally securing it 7-5 in the tiebreak after needing three set points.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with both players exchanging breaks before Jovic claimed the tiebreaker to even the match at one set apiece.
The deciding set remained tightly contested as Jovic continued to stand her ground, matching Osaka’s powerful shots throughout the battle. However, Osaka managed to create a match point opportunity while leading 5-4 with Jovic serving, successfully converting the chance to secure her spot in the next round.
Osaka’s next opponent will be determined by the outcome of the match between top seed Aryna Sabalenka and Australian Daria Kasatkina.
