The No. 16 seed, who won the opener 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in an impressive turnaround from a break of serve down in the final set, made a statement on the court. But by far the biggest was the one she made walking onto it, leaving fans on Rod Laver Arena gasping and cheering as she floated out in a Robert Wun design which, according to Vogue, took inspiration from the “beauty and elegance” of jellyfish and Osaka’s daughter, Shai’s, love of them.
Wun is a London-based couturier from Hong Kong, known for working with Ariana Grande, Beyonce and Lady Gaga. For Wun, Osaka, and their collaborators, the two-time Australian Open champion and former world No. 1, the collaboration is a moment of art imitating life.
“We were just kind of in there in the studio like kids, just trying to figure it out. It was like a dance,” Osaka said in her news conference.
Wun was inspired by an Osaka moment from her victorious campaign at the Australian Open in 2021, when a butterfly landed on Osaka’s face during a third-round match against Ons Jabeur.
Love her.