PARIS (AP) 鈥� keeps bringing the in Paris.
For her walk-on before a second-round win at the , the tennis star wore a metallic gold bomber jacket over her sequined gold playing dress, offset by an ivory train in a look that mixes sportswear with couture.
鈥淭he inspo was, I don鈥檛 want to say Victorian, but you know the ladies that have the dresses with the poof in the background?” Osaka said. 鈥�(It’s) so terrible of me to not know the correct term of that.鈥�
The term Osaka was looking for is likely bustles, which were padded undergarments used to add fullness to dresses in the mid to late 19th century.
After the walk-on, Osaka took off the train and jacket and handed the garments to a ball kid to remove them before the match against Donna Vekic on Court Simonne-Mathieu on Thursday.
鈥淚 like to keep people on their toes and I think it鈥檚 really fun,鈥� Osaka said in her post-match interview on court, refusing to reveal if she has a new outfit for every possible match of the tournament. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a community I feel like that鈥檚 been built over my on-court outfits. So I just like to just keep you guys guessing.鈥�
Osaka won 7-6 (1), 6-4 to reach the third round at Roland Garros for the first time since 2019.
鈥淚t means a lot,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 just feel so grateful. It鈥檚 another milestone.鈥�
For her opening match two days earlier, Osaka walked on in a ceremonial black skirt and sleeveless beaded bodice before revealing her gold dress, which she said reminded her of the Eiffel Tower sparkling at night.
鈥淎thletes are in show business,鈥� Osaka said after beating Laura Siegemund in her opener. 鈥淕rand Slam walk-ons are the only time that I possibly feel like I鈥檓 an entertainer.鈥�
Osaka’s opponent says walk-ons 鈥榩roblematic鈥�
Siegemund said Osaka鈥檚 walk-ons were 鈥測et another example of big names being treated differently鈥� in tennis.
Siegemund told Eurosport Germany she didn鈥檛 mind the outfits but found it 鈥渁 bit problematic鈥� that it took Osaka so long to get ready and lesser-known players were under pressure to unpack their gear as fast as possible to avoid time violations.
鈥淚 came here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show,” Siegemund added after losing to Osaka. “If other people want to do a fashion show, they can do that. It鈥檚 fine for me.鈥�
Vekic had no issues.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just something different,鈥� Vekic said. “Some people take tennis way too seriously. Just relax. It鈥檚 just an outfit. It鈥檚 no big deal. She has an opportunity to do that so why not.鈥�
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AP Fashion Writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.
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