When it comes to Naomi Osaka’s Grand Slam results, there’s a large discrepancy between hard courts and natural surfaces.
Osaka has four Grand Slam titles: two at the Australian Open and two at the US Open. She also has a US Open semifinal run and fourth round results in both. But, heading into the 2026 French Open, Osaka had never been past the third round of the natural surface Grand Slams.
At the French Open specifically, Osaka’s third-round results came in 2016, 2018, and 2019, and despite being seeded 16th, the expectation for Osaka to go far was low.
But Osaka’s results don’t necessarily tell the whole story. And this year, she put the pieces together and took a step forward toward success on clay.
Naomi Osaka at the French Open
The Signature Win That Never Was
In 2024, Osaka lost in the second round of the French Open to Iga Swiatek, a three-time champion at the time who would go on to win her fourth Roland Garros title two weeks later.
It was Osaka’s first French Open since her comeback after time away from the sport due to pregnancy, and her history at the tournament, rustiness, and draw set the odds firmly against her.
The result was straightforward. The path there was not.
Swiatek won the first set in a tiebreak, but Osaka responded with a shocking 6-1 second set, sending the match to a decider. There, Osaka continued her momentum and went up a break, and she eventually had the chance to serve out the match at 5-3. Swiatek was the top seed and defending champion—it would have been the biggest upset of the tournament.
It was a tense game. Up 30-15, Osaka had the chance to hit a forehand winner into the open court, but instead missed it into the net. She had to save a break point at 30-40. And, with the advantage, Osaka had a match point.
But Swiatek saved it, and won four games in a row to win the match. Osaka went out in the second round, another early French Open exit on her record. But what that doesn’t show is just how close she was to a breakthrough.
Finding Her Stride
Two years later, Osaka once again lost to the top seed at the French Open. It wasn’t as close as her loss to Swiatek, ending in straight sets, but it came in the fourth round after three quality wins.
In the first two rounds, the 16th-seeded Osaka defeated Laura Siegemund and Donna Vekic in straight sets, two dangerous unseeded players who Osaka may not have been able to fend off in past years.
The third round was tougher as Osaka faced 17th seed Iva Jovic, an up-and-coming player who can be competitive in any matchup. The two traded tiebreak sets, and in the third it was Osaka who snatched victory in the final moments. She pulled through a difficult match against a high-quality player, and advanced to her first-ever French Open fourth round.
It wasn’t the lost match against Iga Swiatek. It wasn’t the later rounds Osaka is accustomed to at hardcourt Slams. On paper it was just a third-round win, but for Osaka, it was a milestone that took 10 years of Roland Garros appearances to reach.
She had a chance to extend her run against No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka, but Osaka couldn’t find her footing when it mattered. Still, Osaka kept the match competitive to the end, with the 7-5 6-3 scoreline unreflective of just how much she pushed Sabalenka.
The match was important for more than just Osaka and Sabalenka–it was just the fifth time a women’s match was granted the French Open night session slot, and the first since 2023. High quality was expected, and as the underdog Osaka was under the most pressure in that regard. And for the whole match, Osaka’s level was high.
Naomi Osaka still hasn’t reached the highs of her hard court Grand Slam runs on clay or grass, but at this year’s French Open she only expanded on the potential that’s always been in her game.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
