Naomi Osaka Advances to Third Round at US Open, Defeats Haitian-American Hailey Baptiste

Naomi Osaka, the Haitian-Japanese tennis star, continued her strong run at the 2025 US Open with a decisive 6-3, 6-1 victory over Haitian-American Hailey Baptiste on Thursday at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The match lasted just 70 minutes, showcasing Osaka’s sharp return to form at Flushing Meadows, where she previously captured two of her four Grand Slam titles (2018, 2020).

Facing 23-year-old Baptiste, a rising talent from Washington, D.C., Osaka quickly established control. She broke serve in the second game of the opening set after saving a break point in her first service game. From there, her aggressive baseline play and precise returns left Baptiste struggling to keep pace.

Baptiste finished with 25 unforced errors and nine double faults—including one on match point—while Osaka converted 6 of 7 break-point chances and dominated with 76% of points won on second-serve returns. The performance highlighted Osaka’s precision, confidence, and focus as she builds momentum deep into the tournament.

While Baptiste, ranked No. 98, has shown steady progress on the WTA Tour, Thursday’s match revealed the gap between an emerging player and a Grand Slam champion. Still, the contest carried cultural weight, as both competitors share Haitian heritage, a point of pride for the Haitian-American community watching from around the world.

Adding to the spectacle, Osaka took the court in a striking purple kit, complemented by her sparkling Labubu charm “Arthur Flash”—a nod to Arthur Ashe—which drew enthusiastic reactions from the New York crowd.

This victory marks Osaka’s eighth win in her last nine matches, continuing a hot streak that began with her runner-up finish at the Canadian Open earlier this summer. She now advances to the third round to face either No. 15 seed Daria Kasatkina or Kamilla R

akhimova, with the opportunity to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time since her 2021 Australian Open triumph.

For many,

this match was more than a contest: it was a celebration of Haitian pride on one of tennis’s biggest stages, as Osaka and Baptiste both carried their heritage into the spotlight. As Osaka looks ahead in the tournament, her journey remains a testament to resilience, cultural identity, and her enduring drive to reclaim Grand Slam glory.