Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Photo credit: Richard Pagliaro
Wimbledon—Parting can be painful for working moms.
Naomi Osaka was in no mood for an early departure from SW19.
A dynamic Osaka did not face a break point dismissing qualifier Anastasia Gasanova 6-3, 6-2 on No. 2 Court to reach the Wimbledon third round and match her best career result at SW19.
Setting the tone on serve, Osaka served 70 percent, pumped eight aces and won 10 of 14 second-serve points in a 67-minute win as her family watched sitting behind the baseline near coach Tomasz Wiktorowski.
Osaka celebrated daughter Shai’s third birthday a day early and said spending more time with her daughter in this bright London summer was a prime motivation to take care of business on court.
“Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday,” Osaka said in her on-court interview afterward. “I didn’t want her to get on a plane on her birthday.”
Taking flight from the first point, Osaka powered through 12 of the first 14 points racing out to a 3-0 lead.
That fast start came after a festive entrance. Osaka, who wore a Kimono on court for her 6-1, 7-5 first-round win over Frenchwoman Elsa Jacquemot changed up her fashion game today.
Osaka came out wearing what appeared to be a long, flowing white cape.
“It’s an Obi, part of a Japanese tradition of a Kimono,” said Osaka, who later gave the garment to a staffer who wrapped in a white Wimbledon bag and carried it off court.
The 225th-ranked Gasanova, who took the court with two Top 20 career wins to her credit, steadied herself cutting the gap to 2-4 before Osaka slid an ace down the T to seal a one-set lead after 28 minutes.
Gasanova, who left the court after that first set, looked either ill, injured or just out of gas at times bending at the waist and hunching over to gulp in air. Taking more time between serves and a break to tie her shoes at one point, Gasanova was eventually hit with a time violation warning.
Though Osaka credited Gasanova with “dominating” some of the rallies, the four-time Grand Slam champion controlled this match start to finish.
Firing a forehand winner down the line for break point, Osaka banged a bounce smash into the corner breaking for a 3-2 second-set lead with a loud “come on!”
The 14th-seeded Osaka rolled through five games in a row to secure her third-round spot.
Tuning up for Wimbledon by reaching the Bad Homburg final where she retired with a foot issue after the opening set, Osaka has been in fine form so far dropping serve only once and sweeping all four sets she’s played.
Next up for Osaka is a third-round clash vs. either Daria Kasatkina in what would be a rematch of the 2018 Indian Wells final, or Janice Tjen.