Osaka Rebounds to Beat Siniakova as Swiatek Advances at US Open

Naomi Osaka recovered from a difficult second set to beat Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 and reach the third round of the US Open in New York. BBC Sport reported that the two-time champion regained control decisively after failing to serve out the match in the second set.

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Osaka established the early advantage by taking the opening set in 30 minutes. She then broke for a 4-2 lead in the second and later served for the match at 5-3, but Siniakova responded during a sequence of four consecutive breaks. The Czech player won four straight games to force a deciding set.

After leaving the court between sets, Osaka returned with greater consistency and won six of the final seven games. According to the BBC report, 20 of her 29 unforced errors came in the second set. She completed the victory in two hours and two minutes, setting up a third-round match against Belgian 23rd seed Elise Mertens.

The result also carried two milestones for the 28-year-old Japanese player. Osaka became the second Japanese woman in the Open era to record 80 Grand Slam singles victories, following Ai Sugiyama. She has now reached the third round at all four majors in the same season for the first time since 2018. Osaka, the 2018 and 2020 US Open champion, made the semi-finals in New York last year.

Iga Swiatek encountered fewer complications in her second-round match. The Polish six-time major champion defeated Argentina's Nadia Podoroska 6-3, 6-2. Swiatek, whose US Open title came in 2022, will next play Marie Bouzkova after the Czech player eliminated Britain's Harriet Dart.

Elsewhere in the women's draw, American Madison Keys survived five match points against Hungary's Anna Bondar. The 22nd seed recovered after trailing by two breaks in the deciding set and eventually won 5-7, 6-4, 7-6, taking the 10-point tie-break 10-5. BBC Sport reported that Bondar hit consecutive double faults on her first two match points before Keys completed her comeback.