Osaka later confirmed that her outfit was inspired by both Washington’s famous cherry blossoms, which originate from a gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Japan in 1912, as well as Haiti’s national flower, hibiscus.
“I love to pay tribute to my heritage and my cultures. In a way, you can see cherry blossoms, but you can also see hibiscus,” Osaka, whose father was born in Haiti, told the Tennis Channel. “I love that little tie-in.
“Coming off of Wimbledon, everyone was really entertained by my kimonos, but I kind of kept it a little business-like today.”
Facing Ashlyn Krueger to open her campaign, Osaka proceeded to the last-eight via a walkover. The two-time Olympian led 6-3, 3-1 when her U.S. opponent retired with a right ankle injury.
This result meant Osaka is through to her third straight quarter-final, having also reached that stage at Wimbledon earlier this month, and her run to the Bad Homburg Open final in late June.
The DC Open is a tune-up event for the US Open, the hard-court major, where Osaka won the women’s singles title in 2018 and 2020.
