Naomi Osaka has won a three-set match against Elise Mertens at the US Open, advancing to the fourth round despite struggling with an Achilles issue throughout the match. The Japanese player apologized to children watching the match for her behavior, which included throwing a racket to the floor, and said she was "shaky" but managed to recover and win. Osaka will face No.2 seed Elena Rybakina in the next round. She described her Achilles problem as an ongoing issue that has persisted since the grass season and has not yet fully recovered from it.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Naomi Osaka has apologized to children for her behavior during a US Open match after she threw a racquet on the floor at one point. She defeated Belgian tennis player Elise Mertens 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in a three-setter and will face No.2 seed Elena Rybakina in the fourth round. Osaka is dealing with an Achilles issue that she said isn't "a huge injury," but rather an ongoing problem from her grass season matches. She will continue to play despite this issue. The US Open is being held at Flushing Meadows' Louis Armstrong Stadium. This is Osaka's second time reaching the fourth round at the tournament, and she has won two major championships previously.
Written for “Naomi Osaka Injury Update” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 5318 · logged 2026-09-06
In short:
Naomi Osaka has advanced to the fourth round of the US Open after beating Elise Mertens in a three-setter.
asserted
Osaka → advance → setter
Osaka apologised to children for her behaviour during the match after she threw a racquet to the floor at one point.
asserted
she → apologise → point
Osaka says the Achilles niggle she suffered is not a "huge injury".
asserted
she → say → ?
She will face No.2 seed Elena Rybakina in the fourth round.
asserted
She → face → round
Naomi Osaka continued to impress with her style and staying power at the US Open on Saturday as she shrugged off a late Achilles problem to beat Belgian Elise Mertens 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 and reach the fourth round.
asserted
she → continue → round
For her latest eye-catching walk-on look, the four-time 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.
asserted
champion → catch → attire
She looked on course for a business-like win after the first set but was dragged into a battle in the third, where she had to fight through the Achilles niggle to advance.
asserted
she → look → niggle
"I wouldn't say it's a huge injury," Osaka told reporters.
asserted
Osaka → say → reporters
"I'd say it's this ongoing problem that I've had since the grass season.
asserted
I → say → season
I don't know why it hasn't gone away.
asserted
it → know → ?
I feel I've done a lot of things in order to make it better, but maybe the time off wasn't enough.
asserted
time → feel → order
I'm not really sure what the reason is, but the medical timeout was to address that.
asserted
timeout → address → that
"You know, she massaged my leg and stuff, so that seemed to help, and gave me Tylenol."
asserted
that → know → Tylenol
The 28-year-old, a two-time 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.
asserted
old → reel → serves
Osaka pushed the 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.
asserted
Osaka → push → games
"Honestly, I can't believe I won this match," Osaka said on court after sealing victory, thanking the crowd for the energy it provided.
"
asserted
it → believe → energy
There was a certain point where I put my heart on the court and kept trying in every point.
asserted
I → be → point
Thank you so much, but honestly, I'm shocked I won.
asserted
I → thank → you
I'm not going to lie."
asserted
I → go → ?
After levelling the match to force a decider, Mertens 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.
asserted
Mertens → level → player
"I didn't play amazing and it was getting me down, sorry about my behaviour, for the little kids watching," said Osaka, who threw her racket to the floor at one point.
asserted
who → play → point
I wanted to play well in front of you.
asserted
I → want → you
I'm just that glad I have the opportunity to play another match.
asserted
I → have → match
I thought I was going to be OK, but clearly I was shaky."
asserted
I → think → ?
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 in the next round.
asserted
Osaka → recover → round