From executive chic to on-court victory, Osaka reaches US Open last 16

NEW YORK- Naomi Osaka continued to impress with her style and staying power at the U.S. Open on Saturday as the Japanese 13th seed battled past Elise Mertens 6-3 3-6 7-5 to reach the fourth round.

For her latest fashionable walk-on look, the four-times major champion blended boardroom and locker-room aesthetics in a grey checked blazer-hoodie and wide-leg pants, putting a tailored twist on traditional pre-match attire.

The 28-year-old, a two-times champion at Flushing Meadows, reeled off three games in succession to take a 4-1 lead in the first set under the lights of Louis Armstrong Stadium, clinching it with a battling hold thanks to a string of booming serves.

Osaka pushed the Belgian 23rd seed hard at the start of the next set with some heavy hitting from the baseline before pouncing with a break in the third game, only to surrender the lead by dropping the next two games.

Mertens levelled the match and forced a decider, where she capitalised on several unforced errors by a frustrated Osaka to gain the upper hand, but there would be another momentum shift in the match after a medical timeout for the Japanese player.

After recovering a break late on, Osaka fired a huge ace to take a 6-5 lead and revved up her forehand in the following game to complete the win and earn a meeting with Elena Rybakina or Yuliia Starodubtseva in the round of 16.

Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters