(Video) Naomi Osaka Reveals Labubu Doll With an Iconic Name to Captivate the US Open

Naomi Osaka to face America's Hailey Baptiste in the second round of the 2025 US Open.

(Video) Naomi Osaka Reveals Labubu Doll With an Iconic Name to Captivate the US Open

Naomi Osaka and her Labubu doll (via X/ESPN India/The Tennis Letter)

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Naomi Osaka opened her US Open campaign with a confident straight-sets win over Belgian star Greet Minnen, but it wasn’t her brilliant tennis on the court that stole the spotlight; her red Labubu doll attached to her Nike bag also hogged the limelight. The former World No.1 graced the court with a red Nike flower-themed kit and shoes.

The 27-year-old announced herself at the 2025 US Open with an excellent display in the first set and took an early lead before Minnen struck back by winning two games to make it 5-3 in Osaka’s favour. The former champion won all three of the breakpoints she earned in the set and blasted three aces in just 37 minutes.

The second set began differently from the first as the World No.106 came all guns blazing against Osaka. Minnen played with better confidence and took a 4-3 lead after breaking Osaka for the first time in the match. But the Japanese star rallied back to win three straight games and wrap up the match 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 23 minutes.

During her on-court interview, she was asked about her red Labubu doll, which was attached to her bag. She revealed that the name of her doll was Billie Jean Bling, a reference to the legendary Billie Jean King.

This is my Labubu. She’s named ‘Billie Jean Bling.’ Not Billie Jean King, ‘Billie Jean Bling.’

Labubu is part of a collection of designer doll lines which has gained popularity worldwide, particularly among fans of urban pop culture. The red Labubu that Osaka had also fitted her flower-themed outfit. She added that Nike allowed her to design the outfit:

Yeah honestly the outfit is really cool, Nike let me design my outfit, so I’m really glad I was able to come out and I think the hair. I had to take it off because it was heavy, but the hair.

Naomi Osaka has struggled on the court since returning from maternity leave in the 2024 season, but she’s currently seeded 23rd at Flushing Meadows, and it is her first Grand Slam seed since the 2022 Australian Open. She will be hoping to get better on the court after reaching the Canadian Open final early this month.

Naomi Osaka to be seeded in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in over three years

Naomi Osaka has not gone beyond the round of 32 in a Grand Slam event since winning her last and fourth major at the 2021 Australian Open. The Japanese star’s runs in major events of late have often been hampered due to being an unseeded player. For instance, at the 2025 French Open, she lost to Paula Badosa in the first round, who was in the top 10 then.

Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka (via X/The Tennis Letter)

Now being the No.23 seed at the US Open, she’s projected to face her first major test against Coco Gauff in the round of 16. During her post-match press conference, she was asked how she feels about meeting lower-ranked players until the fourth round. She revealed that despite not being scared of top players on tour, she doesn’t like facing them early in major events:

You don’t want to play the big names early on. I think for me I’ve always been the type of person that kind of eases into it, but you have to earn that right, of course. Honestly, in any given day I’m not scared to play anyone. It’s just more I’d like to, I guess, get me feet wet first before diving in.

Osaka has shown that she can compete with top players on tour following her runner-up finish at the Canadian Open. Since her partnership with Iga Swiatek’s ex-coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, she has started to find a good rhythm on the court. She’s set to play against American Hailey Baptiste in the second round of the US Open.

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