Osaka reaches the round of 16 at Roland-Garros for the first time, first second week on a non-hard-court Slam

Naomi Osaka, the 16th seed and former world No. 1, beat Iva Jovic 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4 in two hours and 58 minutes on Court Suzanne-Lenglen on Saturday morning to reach the round of 16 at Roland-Garros for the first time in her career – and the round of 16 of any non-hard-court Grand Slam for the first time in a 12-year professional career.

The four Grand Slam titles Osaka has lifted — the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, the US Open in 2018 and 2020 – were all on hard courts.

The 28-year-old, now world No. 16, had never been beyond the third round at Roland-Garros in six previous attempts, and had been beyond the second round at Wimbledon only once, also reaching the third there in 2017, 2018 ans 2025.

Jovic, the American 17th seed and 18-year-old who had reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open as a quarter-finalist five months ago, was a familiar profile for Osaka – the powerful baseline player she had typically met in earlier rounds at hard-court Slams.

Read also

Cirstea hands Sierra a double bagel in her last Roland-Garros, reaching the round of 16 in five years

Tennis Majors

Osaka returned to tour in January 2024 after a 15-month maternity leave following the birth of her daughter Shai in July 2023. The clay run that has brought her here started in Saint-Malo in May 2025, when she won her first title in nearly four years on a WTA 125 event. The pattern has been a long one – quiet wins, lost match points, surface-specific weaknesses she has spent the past two years trying to address. Saturday’s match was the moment those changes converted into a tournament result that her career had never carried.

Saturday’s reward is the winner of the round-of-16 contest between world No. 1 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka and Australia’s Daria Kasatkina.

Roland-Garros Women’s Singles – 3rd Round

A.Sabalenka (1) vs D.Kasatkina – UPCOMING

N.Osaka (16) – I.Jovic (17): 7⁷-6⁵, 6³-7⁷, 6-4

V.Mboko (9) vs M.Keys (19) – UPCOMING

D.Shnaider (25) – O.Oliynykova: 7-5, 6-1

C.Gauff (4) vs A.Potapova (28) – UPCOMING

A.Kalinskaya (22) vs C.Osorio – UPCOMING

M.Chwalinska – M.Sakkari: 1-6, 6-3, 6-2

D.Parry vs A.Anisimova (6) – UPCOMING

E.Svitolina (7) – T.Korpatsch: 6-2, 6-3

B.Bencic (11) – P.Stearns: 6-3, 6-3

M.Kostyuk (15) – V.Golubic: 6-4, 6-3

I.Swiatek (3) – M.Linette: 6-4, 6-4

M.Andreeva (8) – M.Bouzkova (27): 6-4, 6-2

J.Teichmann – K.Muchova (10): 6-1, 7-5

S.Cirstea (18) – S.Sierra: 6-0, 6-0

X.Wang – Y.Starodubtseva: 6-3, 7-5

Women’s Singles – 4th Round (upcoming)

N.Osaka (16) vs (Sabalenka/Kasatkina winner)

D.Shnaider (25) vs (Mboko/Keys winner)

(Gauff/Potapova winner) vs (Kalinskaya/Osorio winner)

M.Chwalinska vs (Parry/Anisimova winner)

E.Svitolina (7) vs B.Bencic (11)

M.Kostyuk (15) vs I.Swiatek (3)

M.Andreeva (8) vs J.Teichmann

S.Cirstea (18) vs X.Wang