Naomi Osaka walked onto Court Suzanne-Lenglen on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in a ceremonial black skirt and sleeveless beaded bodice, peeled away the outer pieces to reveal a sparkling yellow-brown and gold sequined playing dress and beat Laura Siegemund 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) to advance to the French Open second round.
The 28-year-old four-time Grand Slam champion closed the match in straight sets on the Paris clay, finishing the second set in a tiebreak. After the win, Osaka said, "Funny enough, you know the Eiffel Tower at night when its sparkly? I think I look like that a little bit." She also noted, "When I first saw it, I felt like I look like the Eiffel Tower at night time when it's bright," and added, "I got two back-up, normal dresses - thankfully I didn't have to wear them." The outer black pieces of Osaka's outfit were designed by Kevin Germanier and the gold dress was custom made by Nike.
Osaka's theatrical reveal was matched by a tight performance on court. She took the opener 6-3 and closed the match 7-6 (7-3) in the second set tiebreak, moving on without dropping a set to Siegemund and securing a place in round two of the tournament on Tuesday.
The pageantry is now familiar at major tournaments. Earlier this year Osaka walked on at the Australian Open wearing a wide-brim hat, a veil and holding a white parasol; at last year's US Open she wore sparkly red roses in her ponytail and played with a matching Labubu named Billie Jean Bling. Aryna Sabalenka, watching the French Open scene, praised the look: "This is sparkling. I love it. I love that she is expressing herself and feels confident." More coverage and images appear in Naomi Osaka’s gold dress stuns as she reaches second round at French Open —
Not everyone welcomed the spectacle. Laura Siegemund, who lost in straight sets, said after the match, "I come here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show." Siegemund also said Osaka was allowed about a minute and a half to change before play started and added, "I couldn't care less" and "I find something else problematic," comments that highlighted a friction between performance and play on the same court.
The tension cut both ways: the theatrics are part of Osaka's public persona while the match clock and opponent patience are part of tournament life. Osaka has said plainly about the walk-ons, "For me, Grand Slam walk-ons are the only time that I possibly feel like I'm an entertainer." On Tuesday she turned that self-conception into both a visual moment and a result — a glamorous entrance followed by a straight-sets victory that carried her into the second round at Roland-Garros.
