Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka kept her Wimbledon run alive Wednesday, defeating Russian qualifier Anastasia Gasanova 6-3, 6-2 in straight sets to advance to the third round under sunny London skies.
The Japanese 14th seed made her way onto Court Two in another eye-catching outfit — this time trading in the “Kill Bill” kimono she wore in the first round for a more understated dress featuring a decorative sash, a long train, and a bomber jacket. But her performance on the court was anything but understated.
Osaka moved through the opening set with ease before stepping up her intensity in the second, unleashing a powerful overhead smash to break serve and take a 4-2 advantage. She never wavered from there, closing out the match to reach the third round for the fourth time in her career.
While Osaka has yet to advance past the third round at the All England Club, she will next face either Australian Daria Kasatkina or Indonesian Janice Tjen. However, her thoughts after the match quickly turned to something more personal.
“Tomorrow is my daughter’s (third) birthday,” Osaka said. “I just wanted to be here for longer. I don’t want to make her get on a plane on her birthday. I was really happy about today.”
“Obviously I have to practice in the morning, but maybe after we’ll go around the park and stuff. She loves making friends so yeah, we’ll probably do that,” she added.
