Osaka's fashion show takes center stage at the US Open

NEW YORK – Naomi Osaka delivered a commanding 6-3, 6-2 win over Jelena Ostapenko in the first round on Tuesday, but at her post-match press conference, fashion questions took a close second to actual tennis questions.

Because after a week of unbridled excitement among tennis fashionistas, Osaka brought her ruffled, stunning lime green Nike ensemble designed by Yoon Ahn to the court at the US Open.

““Yoon is so kind,” Osaka said after her win. “She agreed to do this project and we've been talking about it for a couple of years. Just being able to wear it and see it come to life and see people excited to see it, yeah, that's really cool.”

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As she got dressed in the dressing room, Osaka thought to herself, “Ah, I hope this isn’t too much.”

She wore a layered outfit, including a white tutu with a large lime green bow that she took off in the middle of warmups. The game jersey was impressive, if not exactly aerodynamic: four layers of ruffles highlighted by a white bow, a lime green accented visor and shoes with a bow on the back of each.

In this case, a picture may be worth 2,000 words, but we leave the decision up to you.

The chic style was a reference to “Harajuku” fashion, a district in Tokyo’s Shibuya district where young people have broken away from the strict dress code of traditional Japanese culture.

“The inspiration for this look – and this could be a Japanese term – is that I feel like a 'magical girl' on the court,” Osaka said earlier in a statement. “When I step on the court, it's a moment of transformation for me.”

“Transformation” was the buzzword for Osaka this summer as she returned to her beloved hard court for the first time since March.

Osaka, who chose the color over a year ago, said she was particularly excited about this project.

“I feel like it gives me a different kind of strength to be part of my tennis outfits,” Osaka said. “Especially the US Open outfits, I find them a bit more extravagant.”

“I feel like everyone was staring at me strangely. And then I put the [matching] Headphones on, it was awesome. I was like, “You know what, do that maximalist style.” And then I felt better because another player came up to me and asked if he could take a photo. I hope it was a positive photo and not like, “Oh my god, look at her.”

The outfit – Osaka called it a “super suit” – may have contributed to the win. Earlier this month, she compared the feeling of stepping back onto her beloved hard court to feeling “like Sailor Moon was transforming,” a reference to the iconic Japanese superheroine.

“I remember thinking: I have to win this match so I can wear my other color,” Osaka said, drawing laughter from the assembled journalists. “That was very important to me.”

“Yeah, I guess you’ll see my different color next time.”