While her tennis shone in her first-round US Open victory on Tuesday, Naomi Osaka’s outfit –nd Labubu accoutrement –paraded in New York.

For her match against Greet Minnen in Louis Armstrong Stadium, Osaka walked onto the court with sparkly red roses in her hair, matching her shimmering red headphones and a jacket studded with crystals.

The two-time US Open champion removed most red roses from her hair and the red jacket for the match, but her playing outfit matched her sparkling form on the court, where she easily dispatched Minnen 6-3, 6-4.

After the victory, Osaka explained that she had been planning the outfit for years, but the idea for the hair, which she described as a “little chaotic”, came about a few weeks ago after discussions with her stylist.

“I was like: ‘Do you think this is possible?’ Maybe it was two weeks ago,” the 27-year-old told reporters after her victory. “Yeah, we kind of just toss ideas around. Obviously, the outcome is way better than I could have imagined.”

She added, “It was really elaborate because the crystals are hard to do on a performance outfit.

“I just thought it would be run to do in New York under the lights. I’m glad the first night match was because this outfit was running to play. This is my night outfit, so hopefully, I’ll wear my day outfit next time. But yeah, it definitely was really elaborate.”

Osaka also said that the lengthy process of creating bespoke outfits excites her for the future.

“(The process is) not hard, but it always makes me excited for what’s coming up that people don’t know about,” she said. “So we always have fittings months and months in advance, and I know what next year will look like. That just kind of makes me excited to obviously do well so I can have a good court to wear these outfits on.”

On top of that, Osaka also came onto the court with her mascot as a customized Labubu.

Osaka’s Labubu – the fluffy, sharp-toothed figurines that have been prominent in recent years – was attached to her bag and covered in red and gold crystals, holding a sparkly blue tennis racket.

When asked about her accessories on court afterwards, she held her Labubu to the camera and explained, “She’s named Billie Jean Bling. Not Billie Jean King. Billie Jean Bling.”

When speaking to reporters after her win, Osaka said her favorite part of Tuesday’s match was the reaction to Billie Jean King, saying: “I’m glad she made people laugh today.”

Osaka’s first-round victory comes after she reached the final of the Canadian Open earlier this month, her best result since returning from maternity leave.

She also arrives at Flushing Meadows with a new coach added to her staff, TToas Wiktorowsk, who has worked closely with six-time grand slam winner Iga Świątek.

Osaka, the No. 23 seed at the US Open, will face American Hailey Baptiste in the second round.