Naomi Osaka used her recent second‑round victory over Katerina Siniakova at the US Open as a platform to ask the growing contingent of social‑media personalities attending the tournament to respect the traditional etiquette of tennis. The request follows a spate of viral clips from Osaka's opening match against Anastasia Zakharova, in which several influencers appeared distracted, chatting, and even shouting while the players were on court. Those videos sparked a broader conversation about how the presence of non‑athlete content creators can affect the atmosphere of a professional sporting event.
After edging past Siniakova 6‑2, 5‑7, 6‑1 to secure a spot in the third round, Osaka addressed the issue directly in a post‑match interview. "If you attend a sporting event, you have to respect the sport," she said. "It’s basic courtesy to understand the rules and, especially, the etiquette that governs the game." She added that while influencers have the potential to broaden tennis's appeal to new audiences, that influence must be managed responsibly. "There are huge positives in bringing new fans to tennis, but it has to be done in a way that everyone knows the rules and the etiquette," Osaka explained.
The Japanese star recalled a specific moment from her first‑round match when the umpire had to raise his voice to quiet the crowd. "I heard the umpire ask everyone to be silent more loudly than I have ever heard before," she said.
"In my first match I wasn’t paying much attention to the surrounding noise because I was focused on the court, but there were people shouting and it was audible. I think it also distracted my opponent." Osaka's own on‑court presentation this time was more subdued than the headline‑grabbing outfit she wore in her opening match, when she turned heads in a white skirt and hooded robe printed with newspaper clippings about herself. For the Siniakova encounter she chose a sleek, all‑white, shimmery ensemble that could have been at home on the grass of Wimbledon rather than the hard courts of Flushing Meadows. The change in attire reflected a shift in tone as she settled into her match.
The first set saw Osaka dominate early, breaking Siniakova to love in the fourth game and eventually taking the set 6‑2. The second set was tighter; Osaka built a 4‑2 lead and later 5‑3, but a sudden dip in her service game allowed the Czech to break three consecutive times and capture the set 7‑5. Osaka regrouped in the decider, finding her rhythm again and conceding only one game before closing out the match and moving on to the next round. The day also featured notable performances from other top players.
Iga Swiatek, the 2022 US Open champion, breezed into the third round with a 6‑3, 6‑2 win over Argentina's Nadia Podoroska in just 71 minutes. This was only the second meeting between Swiatek and Podoroska, their first having taken place in the 2020 French Open semi‑finals, a match Swiatek won on her way to her first Grand Slam title. Seeded eighth this year, Swiatek broke early in the first set and maintained control throughout, converting her first match point with ease and securing her seventh consecutive appearance in the third round at Flushing Meadows. On the women's side, Madison Keys staged a dramatic comeback against Anna Bondar.
After dropping the first set 5‑7, Keys rallied to win the next two sets 6‑4, 7‑6 (10‑5), saving five match points in the process. The 2017 US Open finalist, who would later capture the 2025 Australian Open title, rattled off 34 forehand winners and thanked the supportive home crowd after forcing Bondar into an error on match point. "That was something, huh?
No stress though – we all knew I had it, right?" Keys told the audience. In the men’s draw, third seed Felix Auger‑Aliassime suffered a surprise second‑round exit at the hands of unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov, becoming the highest‑seeded player eliminated so far. Khachanov, a 2022 semi‑finalist, broke Auger‑Aliassime’s serve seven times on Louis Armstrong Stadium and saved seven of nine break points, earning his second top‑10 Grand Slam victory. After a tightly contested first‑set tiebreak that Auger‑Aliassime edged, the Canadian could not sustain momentum and won only seven more games, allowing Khachanov to advance to the third round.
Elsewhere, American hopeful Taylor Fritz continued his strong start, dispatching Italy’s Mattia Bellucci 6‑0, 6‑1, 6‑1 in a match that saw Fritz maintain a clean sheet of sets. The ninth seed, who is part of a small group of American men hoping to end a 23‑year drought without a US male Grand Slam champion, reinforced his status as a serious contender with the dominant performance. Osaka’s call for respect underscores a larger debate about the role of influencers in live sports.
While their presence can generate buzz, increase viewership, and attract younger fans, it also raises questions about maintaining the integrity and focus of the competition. Players have long relied on a quiet, respectful environment to perform at their best, and sudden disruptions can affect concentration, rhythm, and even the outcome of matches. Osaka’s remarks suggest that a balance is possible: influencers can promote tennis, but they must also educate themselves about the sport’s customs, from the proper conduct during points to the etiquette of cheering and silence. 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 Laver Cup at The O2 in London from September 25‑27, also shown on Sky Sports. The tournament remains a showcase not only of athletic excellence but also of the evolving relationship between sport, media, and audience engagement.