NEW YORK — Naomi Osaka battled through a 7-6 (8), 7-6 (7) victory over Anastasia Zakharova to punch her ticket into the second round of the US Open on Monday.

The lively crowd — known for its below average tennis etiquette and above average noise levels — made itself known in support of Osaka, the two-time Open champion who spent childhood years in New York.

That same crowd is sure to continue the support in Osaka’s Round 2 match against Katerina Siniakova.

“I was really grateful for the crowd. This is probably the only stadium or the only crowd that’s — which I felt really bad for. I’ve never played in a crowd that would clap when the person would hit, like, the serve in the net,” Osaka said.

As the two battled on Monday night, each Zakharova misfire was met by ovation throughout Arthur Ashe Stadium. Fans also clapped and yelled as the Russian attempted to serve at key points during the matchup.

“So, like, I felt bad, but I was a little happy about it, because I’ve never experienced it on my end before,” Osaka said. “Yeah, the crowd was super kind and super into it. They made it feel so lively. I didn’t even know it was midnight. Yeah, I really just appreciated it a lot.”

The No. 13 ranked Osaka is favored to defeat Siniakova, who is ranked No. 42 on tour.

Osaka owns a 2-1 record against the 30-year-old, with the most recent matchup ending in a 6-3, 6-2 victory at Wimbledon in 2025.

After losing in the semifinals of the 2025 Open, Osaka looks to secure another win to inch closer to the second weekend of the tournament.

"I feel like the type of player that I am, the more rounds I play, the better I become. I get, like, very hyper-fixated on the things that I should fix,” she said. “Also, you’re kind of more aware the deeper you go in the tournament, the better the tournaments are. There’s less room for error. I think that’s the most, I guess, fun part of playing tennis is fine-tuning yourself while the tournament is going on. So I am, I guess, ready to play the next round and hopefully the round after that.”

Alcaraz back for more

On the men’s side, Carlos Alcaraz is set for a second-round matchup against No. 72-ranked Jaime Faria.

The Spanish superstar advanced after giving fans their first glimpse of him since April in a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, win over Roman Safiullin.

Monday’s match had been his first action since he withdrew from the Barcelona Open due to a wrist injury. The seven-time Grand Slam winner said after the match that the wrist is now “pain-free.”

Before Alcaraz takes the court, fans will have to wait for the conclusion of the Aryna Sabalenka-Polina Iatcenko match, which is set to kick off the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“But what I just really want to do is enjoy every time that I’m gonna walk into the court feeling, you know, the energy from the people, feel the competition, walking up, I’m thinking, all right, it’s match day. That’s what I’m gonna do this tournament,” said Alcaraz, who is the heavy favorite to defeat Faria. The two-time Open winner is also favored to win it for a third time.

Wednesday’s matchup between Alcaraz and Faria is the first between the two.

“The results, it’s going to come after all. So that’s why I enjoyed so much [Monday], and it wasn’t a surprise for me, because I came here to enjoy,” Alcaraz said.

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