US Open: Naomi Osaka urges social media influencers in attendance to respect tennis 'etiquette' after second-round win
Naomi Osaka opts for more understated, all-white entrance outfit ahead of her 6-2 5-7 6-1 win over Katerina Siniakova; men's third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime suffers shock exit; watch US Open live on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+, on NOW and the Sky Sports app
Thursday 3 September 2026 22:25, UK
Naomi Osaka urged the growing number of social media influencers at the US Open to respect the sport's "etiquette" following her second-round win over Katerina Siniakova.
The issue has become a talking point at the tournament following Osaka's opening win over Anastasia Zakharova on Monday, in which viral videos have since surfaced of some influencers not paying attention to the tennis.
After overcoming a mid-match wobble to beat Katerina Siniakova 6-2 5-7 6-1 and reach the third round in New York, Osaka said on the issue: "I think obviously if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport.
"I feel like it's common courtesy to read up on the sport, especially the etiquette.
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"I feel like it could be a good thing for people to make the sport of tennis popular to their specific audience, but I think it has to be managed a lot better, especially in the situation like [my] first-round match.
"Overall, I think there is huge positives. You want people to continue to grow the sport. I just think it has to be in a way that everyone knows the rules and the etiquette."
Osaka added: "I was going to say, today, the umpire told everyone to be quiet - more than I've ever heard an umpire tell a crowd to be quiet.
"I do think that in my first match, I wasn't really paying attention. I normally just focus on the match and the court, but there was a moment where there was people shouting and stuff, and you could hear it quite clearly. I think it bothered my opponent, too."
Osaka wears more understated outfit for second round
Against Siniakova, it wasn't quite as headline-grabbing a display - both on and off the court - from Osaka, who sported a more understated entrance outift, for which she is gaining increasing notoriety.
The two-time US Open champion had turned heads when wearing a long, white skirt and hooded robe featuring newspaper clippings about her ahead of her tournament opener on Monday night.
But on this occasion, Osaka opted for a more understated, shimmery all-white number which wouldn't have looked out of place at Wimbledon rather than Flushing Meadows.
The 13th seed was swiftly into her stride in the first set, breaking Siniakova to love in the fourth game of the opener, which she clinched with a second break of the Czech.
Osaka appeared to be cruising to victory in the second when breaking for 4-2 and 5-3 leads, only for her serve to desert her at that time as she was broken three times in a row to ultimately drop the set 7-5.
The four-time Gland Slam winner found her footing again for the decider, dropping only one game to clinch her spot in the next round.
Swiatek storms into third round in 71 minutes
Iga Swiatek also stormed into the third round of the US Open, with a clinical 6-3 6-2 win over Nadia Podoroska that took just 71 minutes.
It was only the second meeting between the pair - the previous coming in the semi-finals of the 2020 French Open, with Swiatek victorious en route to claiming the first of her six Grand Slam titles.
The 2022 US Open champion, seeded eighth this year in New York, was back to her ruthless best.
She broke in the fourth game of the opening set and pushed on to take it 6-3, before snatching a crucial break of serve in the first game of the second set to ensure that she stayed firmly in control.
Podoroska showed some glimpses of her best form, but Swiatek was rarely under pressure and converted her first match point to book her place in the third round at Flushing Meadows for the seventh-straight time.
Auger-Aliassime becomes highest seed to fall
Men's third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime became the highest seed to be knocked out of the US Open so far when suffering a shock second-round exit to unseeded Karen Khachanov.
Khachanov, who reached the semi-final stage in New York in 2022, broke Auger-Aliassime's serve seven times on Louis Armstrong Stadium and saved seven of the nine break points he faced en route to securing only his second top-10 win at a Grand Slam.
The first set was tight, with neither player giving the other any opportunities, but while Auger-Aliassime - a two-time US Open semi-finalist, including last year - edged it in the tie-break, the Canadian was unable to build on that momentum and won just seven further games.
Khachanov, who lost the opening match in his three tournament tune-up events, produced some of his best tennis to reach the third round in impressive style.
The world No 50 will next face either Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi or Peruvian 32nd seed Ignacio Buse.
The US Open is live on Sky Sports from August 30. Stream tennis with no contract on NOW and the Sky Sports App. You can also watch the Laver Cup at The O2 in London from 25-27 September live on Sky Sports.
