Osaka recovers from blip as Swiatek also advances

Naomi Osaka recovered from a second-set blip to overcome Katerina Siniakova in three sets at the US Open, while fellow former champion Iga Swiatek made smooth progress in New York.

Two-time winner Osaka, who once again walked out in a stylish outfit, served for a place in the third round during the second set but lost four straight games as she squandered a 5-3 lead.

However, after leaving the court to reset, the Japanese 28-year-old overpowered top-ranked doubles player Siniakova in the decider.

Osaka's eventual 6-2 5-7 6-1 victory confirmed a meeting with Belgian 23rd seed Elise Mertens.

After Osaka walked out for her first-round match in an outfit inspired by NBA legend Allen Iverson, the four-time major winner returned to the court on Thursday wearing a white dress embroidered with tennis racquets.

The 2018 and 2020 US Open winner took a commanding first set in half an hour, and looked on course for a straightforward victory after breaking serve for a 4-2 lead in the second by the hour mark.

That marked the start of four successive breaks of serve - including Osaka failing to close out the match - and Siniakova took full advantage as the 13th seed's consistency dipped.

But Osaka, who made 20 of her 29 unforced errors in the second set, returned to her former levels and replied by winning six of the final seven games to complete victory in two hours and two minutes.

"The match was definitely really tough. I just felt like I was a little bit too hard on myself after opportunities in the second set," Osaka told the crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"I took the bathroom break, regrouped a little, came back and just tried to have no regrets."

With that, she became just the second Japanese woman in the Open era to record 80 Grand Slam singles wins, after Ai Sugiyama.

It is also the first time since 2018 that Osaka, who reached the semi-finals in New York 12 months ago, has reached the third round at all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same season.

"I just told myself that it's an honour to play on this court, honestly," Osaka said.

"I just want to keep playing in front of you guys if possible, so to keep fighting as best as I can.

"The energy from the crowd, it's very lively and I have the experience of growing up here and playing on this court many times. It's really fun."

Swiatek, a six-time major winner whose sole US Open triumph arrived in 2022, had no such issues.

Poland's 25-year-old former world number one defeated Argentina's Nadia Podoroska 6-3 6-2 to set up a meeting with Czech player Marie Bouzkova, who earlier ended Briton Harriet Dart's tournament.

However, American Madison Keys survived a huge scare as the former finalist saved five match points to come through a thrilling match against Hungary's Anna Bondar.

After forcing a third set, Keys, the 22nd seed at her home slam, trailed the decider by a double break of serve.

She stayed alive after Bondar produced back-to-back double faults on her first two match points, and three more on her subsequent service game, before breaking again to level the set and eventually clinching a 10-point tie-break to win 5-7 6-4 7-6 (10-5).