Naomi Osaka thrives on home soil with win over Jasmine Paolini as Leylah Fernandez and Maya Joint open Pan Pacific Open accounts

Tuesday, 27 October 2026 at 11:05

Naomi Osaka competing at the 2025 US Open

The Pan Pacific Open continues on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan, and the day is complete with some shocks and also some unsurprising wins. Sitting somewhere in the middle is in fact Naomi Osaka.

Osaka took down Jasmine Paolini to complete the session off with the former World No. 1 playing only her second tournament since the US Open. She lost to Karolina Muchova in Beijing in the last 16 after wins over Maria Timofeeva and Sara Bejlek in the last few games. She has started well, though, here in what is her yearly homecoming as a result.

She broke early in the opening set, surging into a 3-0 lead after breaking for 2-0, and despite Paolini coming back to 3-3, Osaka managed to weather the storm and come back to lead 5-3. She broke again and then held the serve for 6-3.

The second set was more of a battle and one that Osaka perhaps was lucky to win as a result in the end. She went 3-2 up, but this time Paolini turned the tables and led. She went 4-3 up and then also 5-4 up. But she couldn't find the break she needed despite having three set points, and from there, Osaka rubber stamped a tie-break.

Naomi Osaka was back to her best at the 2025 US Open

Osaka wins through.

She went on to win said tie-break 7-4 to seal the win and move through. She also faces a good section, as she faces Mia Pohankova, who defeated Tereza Valentova today, and the victor of that faces Alycia Parks or Kimberly Birrell for a spot in the semi-finals, so it could be firmly a good week on home soil for Osaka; it was just all about getting through the opening test.

Cirstea dumped out, Fernandez wins again

Elsewhere, in one of her final events, Sorana Cirstea bowed out to Maya Joint in straight sets, with the Aussie ace winning 6-3, 7-6.

Ekaterina Alexandrova saw off one of the leading lights of recent months in Ann Li in a 6-4, 6-4 win to book her spot in the Last 16. While in the latest episode of their often fractious rivalry, Yulia Putintseva won 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 over Maria Sakkari to move through.

Wins too for Cristina Bucsa (7-5, 6-1) against Diane Parry and Aliaksandra Sasnovich, seeing off Nikola Bartunkova 6-4, 6-7, 6-3. Leylah Fernandez, off the back of her Ningbo Open run, finally keeps rocking and rolling.

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She saw off Himeno Sakatsume 6-2, 6-4 to seal a spot in the last 16. The Canadian ace, though, could meet Elena Rybakina very early. She faces Elise Mertens next, who won yesterday, and the winner then faces Rybakina or Putintseva, who face off in an all-Kazakh battle. That is in the top section. Albeit if a big name goes out, it does open up.

Below them, it is Alexandrova v Rakhimova and Bucsa v Joint, so the opportunities are there, and with Rybakina under pressure to reach World No. 1, it could open up feasibly.

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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Pan Pacific Open 2026: Results, Draw, Entry List, Prize Money and History