Photo: Kazuki Oishi/Sipa USA via AP
Tennis’s most stylish competitor, Naomi Osaka, is back on the court in custom Hana Yagi — her second collaboration with the Tokyo-based designer this year. On Tuesday, the 29-year-old returned to the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo for the first time in four years, adding another standout design to her growing oeuvre of walk-on fashion. Taking the court to face off with Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, Osaka debuted a royal-blue kimono featuring white ruffles and red-crowned cranes, the Japanese symbol for longevity, peace, and good fortune.
You may recognize Yagi’s work from Osaka’s June match at Wimbledon, where she walked onto the court in an ethereal all-white kimono. This time, Osaka said in an on-court interview, she and Yagi wanted to honor their shared roots in Japan and the location of the Toray Pan Pacific Open itself.
“It was very much inspired by Japan,” Osaka said. “I was really glad that [Yagi] wanted to work with me again. For me, I haven’t been here for a little bit of a while, so it’s just nice to bring a bit of a show here.”
Turns out that crane-engendered good fortune is really good for Osaka’s tennis game — she defeated Paolini in the first round and is advancing to take on 18-year-old Mia Pohankova, the 2025 Wimbledon junior champion, on Wednesday. As a seventh-seed player, Osaka will be the first contender in the top 20 Paolini has faced in her career. As for what Osaka will wear next? I’m betting on a reunion with Law Roach or a return to the jellyfish.
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