When Naomi Osaka stepped onto the court today in the first round of the mixed doubles encounter at the US Open, not many expected her to lose. Partnering with Gael Monfils, the team had years of enriching experience as compared to their opponents, Lorenzo Musetti and Caty McNally. Interestingly, Jasmine Paolini was originally scheduled to play with Musetti but had to withdraw at the 11th hour. Subsequently, McNally was offered a chance to participate, which she gleefully accepted. However, it was a matter of just a few seconds that changed Osaka’s fate.
During the Cincinnati Open final against Iga Swiatek, Paolini suffered an ankle injury. Wanting to take no chances before the US Open singles event, she decided to pull out of the mixed doubles event as a precaution. Soon after, the call went to McNally, and her agent asked if she would like to play in place of Paolini.
The 23-year-old star was quick to accept the invitation. During the post-match interview after defeating Naomi Osaka, McNally described the events leading up to the invitation, which she received from her agent, saying, “Sunday I was back home in Cincinnati. My agent called & said, ‘You have 60 seconds to tell me if you wanna play with Lorenzo Musetti.’ I was like ‘uhhh… yes.’”
McNally on how her mixed doubles pairing with Musetti came to be after their win over Osaka & Monfils at U.S. Open
“Sunday I was back home in Cincinnati. My agent called & said ‘You have 60 seconds to tell me if you wanna play with Lorenzo Musetti.’ I was like ‘uhhh… yes.’” pic.twitter.com/TfVgJ7hlvj
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 19, 2025
Meanwhile, this isn’t the only positive news for McNally at this year’s US Open. Earlier, she won the US Open wild card challenge and was awarded a wild card entry into the women’s singles main draw. Thus, McNally will be full of confidence, and her win over Osaka would further boost her chances ahead.
On top of that, McNally is also enjoying some vital home support of late. During the recently concluded Cincinnati Masters, she acknowledged the support there, saying, “I have friends and family that will be there tomorrow. I know who has my back; win or lose, they’re always gonna come out and support me. I have a lot of support here in Cincinnati. They love me no matter what.” Further, things will be no different in New York, and McNally will be one of the local stars to watch out for Naomi Osaka.
Meanwhile, Osaka has been garnering some unwanted attention of late. After the Canadian Open earlier this month, American stars Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson slammed Osaka for her behavior.
Naomi Osaka’s post-match behavior raises questions
Things looked good for Osaka at the Canadian Open until the final. In the summit clash, she went down fighting against the local star, Victoria Mboko. What was shocking to see was that she had a cold shoulder towards Mboko and was widely criticized by the fans for her post-match behavior. Even stars like Querrey and Johnson weren’t happy with Osaka and slammed her for being a bad loser.
During a podcast, Querrey said, “Can Osaka just act like an adult for five minutes? Just give a nice speech, fake it for a minute, and then move on to the locker room.” Even Johnson was critical of the Japanese star and revealed, “As athletes, you take the good with the bad. You can’t just take praise when you are playing well. We saw Sabalenka have the same. We’ve seen (it) on the men’s side too. When you get to the biggest stage, and you lose, and you talk to the press 10 minutes later. You haven’t had time to process it. Your mind is not that clear.”
With the US Open singles competition not far away, Naomi Osaka would have to get her act right after some setbacks lately. Can she bounce back strongly after a surprising mixed doubles result? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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