Naomi Osaka used her recent second‑round victory over Katerina Siniakova at the US Open as a platform to ask the growing legion of social‑media personalities who attend the tournament to respect the sport's long‑standing etiquette. The request follows a series of viral clips that emerged after Osaka's opening‑round win over Anastasia Zakharova, showing several influencers on the sidelines who appeared disengaged, chatting, and even shouting while points were in progress.
Osaka, who is now a two‑time US Open champion, said that anyone who steps into a sporting arena should first understand the basic rules and customs that govern the competition. "If you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport," Osaka told reporters after she survived a mid‑match wobble to defeat Siniakova 6‑2, 5‑7, 6‑1 and advance to the third round in New York. "It's common courtesy to read up on the sport, especially the etiquette. It could be a great way to make tennis popular with a new audience, but it has to be managed a lot better, especially in situations like my first‑round match.
Overall, there are huge positives – you want people to help grow the sport – but it has to happen in a way that everyone knows the rules and the etiquette." She added that the umpire in her opening match had to raise his voice more than usual to ask the crowd to be quiet, a clear sign that the atmosphere was becoming disruptive. "I usually focus on the match and the court, but there were moments when people were shouting and you could hear it clearly.
I think it bothered my opponent as well," Osaka explained. While Osaka's comments about etiquette were a headline, her on‑court performance against Siniakova also provided plenty of material for analysis. The Japanese star entered the match as the 13th seed and chose a subdued, all‑white, shimmering outfit that would not have seemed out of place on the lawns of Wimbledon. This contrasted sharply with the bold, newspaper‑clipped robe she wore for her tournament opener, which had attracted considerable media attention.
Osaka started strongly in the first set, breaking Siniakova to love in the fourth game and sealing the set with a second break later on. The second set proved more volatile. Osaka built a 4‑2 lead, then 5‑3, but her serve faltered at a critical juncture.
She was broken three consecutive times and ultimately dropped the set 7‑5. Demonstrating the resilience that has become her trademark, Osaka regrouped in the deciding set, allowing only one game to slip away before closing out the match and booking her place in the fourth round. The day also featured other notable results that underscored the depth of talent on display at Flushing Meadows.
Two‑time champion Iga Świątek, seeded eighth, breezed through her second‑round encounter with Argentina's Nadia Podoroska, winning 6‑3, 6‑2 in just 71 minutes. This was only the second meeting between the two; their first clash came in the 2020 French Open semi‑final, where Świątek emerged victorious on her way to her first Grand Slam title.
In this latest match, Świątek broke early in the first set, maintained control throughout, and converted her first match point without ever feeling genuine pressure. American fan favourite Madison Keys staged a dramatic comeback against Poland's Anna Bondar.
After dropping the first set 5‑7, Keys rallied to take the next two sets 6‑4 and 7‑6 (10‑5), saving five match points along the way. The 2017 US Open finalist, who later claimed the 2025 Australian Open crown, rattled off an impressive 34 forehand winners and credited the supportive home crowd for her perseverance. "That was something, huh? No stress though – we all knew I had it, right?" Keys told the audience after sealing the win.
On the men's side, third seed Felix Auger‑Aliassime suffered a surprising second‑round defeat to unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov, becoming the highest‑seeded player eliminated from the tournament to date. Khachanov, a former 2022 semi‑finalist, broke Auger‑Aliassime's serve seven times on Louis Armstrong Stadium and saved seven of nine break points, securing only his second top‑10 Grand Slam victory. After a tightly contested first‑set tiebreak that Auger‑Aliassime edged, the Canadian could not sustain his momentum, winning just seven more games as Khachanov surged ahead. Meanwhile, American ninth seed Taylor Fritz continued his dominant run, dispatching Italy's Mattia Bellucci 6‑0, 6‑1, 6‑1 in a match that lasted barely over an hour.
Fritz's performance has positioned him as one of the few contenders capable of ending the United States' 23‑year drought without a male Grand Slam singles champion. His confidence is growing with each straight‑set victory, and he now looks to the later stages of the tournament as a realistic goal. Osaka's plea for greater respect toward tennis etiquette resonates beyond the immediate controversy.
The sport, with its centuries‑old traditions of quiet spectatorship, disciplined conduct, and mutual respect among players, relies on a shared understanding of these unwritten rules to preserve its unique atmosphere. As the tournament progresses, the presence of influencers—who bring massive audiences but may not be fully versed in tennis protocol—presents both an opportunity and a challenge.
If managed thoughtfully, their platforms can introduce the game to new fans; if not, they risk undermining the very experience that makes live tennis special. In response to Osaka's comments, several tournament officials have indicated they will work more closely with media crews and influencer groups to provide briefings on acceptable behavior. Some have suggested designated influencer zones away from the baseline and net to minimize distractions, while others propose mandatory etiquette videos before granting court access.
The goal is to strike a balance: allowing the sport to benefit from the reach of modern digital personalities while safeguarding the integrity of the competition. The US Open continues to be broadcast live on Sky Sports from August 30, with streaming options available on NOW and the Sky Sports app. Fans can also catch the upcoming Laver Cup at The O2 in London from September 25‑27, also shown on Sky Sports. As the tournament unfolds, the dialogue sparked by Osaka's remarks may shape how tennis engages with the digital age, ensuring that the sport's rich heritage of respect and decorum endures even as its audience expands.