Naomi Osaka channels Allen Iverson in a daring nighttime US Open look
Naomi Osaka made a bold fashion statement ahead of tonight’s US Open opener against Anastasia Zakharova, drawing inspiration from NBA great Allen Iverson.
The four-time Grand Slam champion arrived at Arthur Ashe Stadium for her first-round match against Anastasia Zakharova in a long white skirt and hooded gown emblazoned with newspaper clippings.
Naomi Osaka’s Allen Iverson-inspired look for the 2026 US Open has so many details.
Love it or hate it, no one does tennis fashion like her.
pic.twitter.com/50PUF7F30X— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 1, 2026
She later removed the gown to reveal a black outfit and completed the look with cornrows, a hairstyle that Iverson famously sported during his NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Osaka made her admiration for Iverson clear before stepping onto the court. When she met the media on the eve of the tournament, she wore a T-shirt featuring the former NBA star and called him a “trailblazer.”
“I think he’s also someone I look up to a lot because he’s done a lot in fashion, whether it’s intentional or not, but he’s changed the way NBA players dress,” Osaka said Saturday.
“Also, I think the whole conversation about clothing in sports and also just expressing yourself with style, I feel like he’s someone I look up to in that regard.”
Osaka said she had never spoken to Iverson, but that changed when the NBA legend responded to her look on Instagram.
Iverson sent a message to Osaka on Monday, writing: “Wow, what an honor! HUGE FAN can’t wait to meet you.”
The Japanese star has become known for his fashion choices at major tournaments, although he insists he doesn’t try to make a statement at every appearance.
“Honestly, I’m not doing anything, I’m making a statement,” she said of her photo shoots in and around the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. “I think that’s how it ends.
“But I’m literally doing things that I love to do and I feel like people relate to that and I’m really happy and grateful for that because I feel like the type of person that I am, a lot of people see themselves in me. I really, honestly, love that about myself.”
OSAKA SURVIVES ZAKHAR’S TEST
Osaka followed up her stylish entrance with a hard-fought straight sets victory over Zakharova as she began her quest for a third US Open title.
The 28-year-old twice built what looked like a comfortable lead, leading 5-2 in the opening set and 5-3 in the second. Zakharova, ranked world No. 101, refused to go away and forced a tiebreak on both occasions.
Osaka eventually won 8-6 in the first set tiebreak on her third set point before closing out the second 7-3. The match lasted a little over two hours.
Osaka won the US Open in 2018 and 2020 and came to New York confident that she had plenty of matches under her belt.
“I feel like I’ve played a lot of matches. Honestly, this is the surface I’m most comfortable with,” she said.
Off the court, Osaka continued to develop her interest in fashion and design.
Between training sessions in New York, she traveled to Southampton to announce plans to take that passion further. She also unveiled a prototype of one of her new handbags during a fireside chat at the Fame to Fortune Summit.
Osaka called the brand her “biggest dream” outside of tennis, according to Variety.
“Being a really good tennis player has given me a lot of amazing opportunities to invest and also surround myself with really great people, and I feel like it’s gotten me to the point where I want to create my own thing,” Osaka told Fortune executive editor Diane Brady.
“It’s something I want to pour all my energy into because I believe in it wholeheartedly as well.”
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
01 Sep 2026 10:37 IST