Naomi Osaka in Tokyo: A Crane Kimono, Seven Aces and a Tiebreak Win Over Jasmine Paolini in Her First Pan Pacific Open in Four Years

Naomi Osaka came home to Tokyo and put on the show she promised. In her first Pan Pacific Open appearance in four years, the seventh seed beat Italy's Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 7-6(4) on Tuesday, in one hour and 37 minutes, to open the WTA 500 event.

The second set nearly got away. Serving at 5-6, Osaka faced three consecutive set points — and saved all three, then closed the tiebreak 7-4. She out-aced Paolini seven to one and won 77 points to 69. The win avenges the pair's only previous meeting, Paolini's victory at last year's Miami Open.

The tennis was only half the story. Osaka entered in a blue-and-white, crane-embroidered kimono-inspired outfit designed by Hana Yagi, who also created her Wimbledon outfit — the crane pattern a nod to her mother's home island of Hokkaido, in what she called a homecoming. 'I was just really glad that she wanted to work with me again,' Osaka said, in remarks reported by Sky Sports. 'I haven't been here in a little bit of a while, so it's just nice to bring a bit of a show here too.'

The four-time Grand Slam champion, now 29 and ranked No. 18, is playing some of her best tennis since returning after the birth of her daughter Shai. Her last Tokyo appearance, in 2022, ended with an abdominal-pain withdrawal before her second-round match. This time she plays on: Mia Pohankova is next, for a place in the quarterfinals.