By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, August 29, 2019

NEW YORK—Growing up on Long Island, Naomi Osaka recalls visiting the US Open trying to see her sports heroes.

These days, athletic icons come to the Open to see the world No. 1 in action.

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Former NBA all-star Kobe Bryant and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick were on hand to watch the reigning champion in action.

Osaka showed star power streaking through six of the final seven games to dispatch Magda Linette, 6-2, 6-4, and reach the US Open third round.

It was Osaka’s ninth consecutive win in New York as she snapped Linette’s nine-match winning streak that included her run to the Bronx title last week.

Down 0-3 in the second set, Osaka fought off three break points and found a higher gear.

Though she served just 46 percent, Osaka dominated on first serve winning 19 of 23 first-serve points and pouncing on any mid-court replies she saw.

An identity check helped Osaka turn the second set around.

“I just told myself to, you know, look in the mirror and notice that I'm the player that's supposed to be more aggressive,” Osaka said. “I think that that's what I did better throughout the second set.”

It’s easy to forget the fact Osaka had won just one career title when she returned to Flushing Meadows last summer and tore through the field surrendering just one set in seven victories, including sweeping her childhood tennis idol, Serena Williams, to charge to her first Grand Slam title.

Instead of focusing on trying to play flawless tennis, Osaka is aiming to bring back the buzz and enjoy her experiences on court.

“For me I think the biggest thing was, like, I put a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect,” Osaka said. “I think that sort of makes other people expect a lot from me, too. So I just wanted to clear the air in that way.

“Yeah, I mean, for me I'm not really thinking too much anymore. Like, I used to think about everything, you know. I used to think, like, if I have this amount of points, I can stay No. 1. If I have this amount of points, I can, you know, get into this tournament or whatever. I think the me right now just wants to play really good tennis. For me, that's the foundation of getting to the top, and I think somewhere along the way in Europe I lost that. I feel like I'm having fun again."

In a sense, the two-time Grand Slam champion got back to basics today.

Osaka’s aggressive baseline game is predicated on her booming first serve and blistering first-strike forehand.

While she sometimes pulled the trigger prematurely on her down the line drives in round one, Osaka was more patient and punishing today.

The top seeded scalded crosscourt forehands at time to dictate play with higher percentage drives.

“I think for me the last match I played compared to this match was that I'm more aware of my surroundings, or at least, like, point structure,” Osaka said. “I know that people don't really want to hit forehand crosscourts with me. Same goes with backhands sometimes.

“So, yeah, I feel like every rally that I play I have a chance. So it just really depends on if I want to dictate or not.”

On a day in which reigning Wimbledon champion Simona Halep and two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova both lost, Osaka looked sharp closing.

The top seed will try to keep swinging freely against either 15-year-old American phenom Coco Gauff or Timea Babos for a fourth-round spot.

"I'm not really caring too much about rankings or points," Osaka said. "And I know that I said that if you win a tournament that automatically makes you No. 1, but I'm not even thinking about winning this tournament right now. Like, I'm thinking about my next match, and I know it's either going to be Coco or Babos. So I sort of feel free."