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Naomi Osaka’s sequined gold dress at the French Open reminds her of the Eiffel Tower at night

PARIS (AP) — Naomi Osaka’s taste for fashion was in the spotlight again on Tuesday at the French Open.

The tennis star walked onto Court Suzanne-Lenglen in a ceremonial black skirt and sleeveless beaded bodice, which she removed to reveal a sequined gold playing dress for her opening match in Paris.

“It’s very couture,” Osaka said of her dress after the match. “You know the Eiffel Tower at night when it’s sparkly. I kind of think I look like that a little bit.”

Osaka entered wearing the embellished bodice structured to recall armor, and a long pleated skirt over her playing attire. She then removed the over-garments and went on to beat German opponent Laura Siegemund 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Osaka said the playing dress was designed by Nike while the outer pieces were from Swiss designer Kevin Germanier.

Earlier this year at the Australian Open, Osaka walked on wearing a wide-brim hat, a veil and holding a white parasol. And at last year’s U.S. Open, she had sparkly red roses in her ponytail above her red outfit and even a matching Labubu that she named Billie Jean Bling.

The four-time Grand Slam champion also recently wore a show-stopping outfit at the Met Gala in New York.

So how does Osaka switch her focus from her grand entrances to playing a tennis match minutes later?

“I’m a little used to it now,” she said. “The U.S. Open, the roses in my hair, that’s when I started to really get into it a lot more. Obviously with Australia, that was a real conversation starter. So I don’t really feel like it’s too much of a big deal to do that and then play after.

“Athletes are in show business,” Osaka added. “Grand Slam walk-ons are the only time that I possibly feel like I’m an entertainer.”

Osaka had other concerns, though.

“I actually got a little worried, because when the sun hits the dress, it reflects a lot. So I was a little scared that the umpire was going to kick me off the court,” she said. “So I (had) two back-up normal Nike dresses.”

Earlier Tuesday on Court Philippe-Chatrier, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka wore two necklaces featuring diamonds during her opening win.

Osaka said on Saturday that she enjoys fashion since “I don’t talk a lot, so that way I can talk through my clothes.”

She added, “I am a little dramatic when it comes to my fashion sense.”

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AP Fashion Writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

How do you make vampires fly effortlessly on Broadway? Strong wires, harnesses and lots of practice

NEW YORK (AP) — For their third Broadway show, husband-and-wife choreographing team Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher “Cree” Grant faced a high-stakes challenge: They were asked to make vampires fly. Not just fly, but also fight and hang upside-down, 60 feet off the stage. Not just that but also make it effortless, like gliding. And, of course, completely safely, despite darkness and haze and props whizzing by. Making “The Lost Boys” soar was a little like a real-life game of Tetris, the couple say. And for creating some of the best visuals of the season, the couple has earned their first Tony Award nomination. “You just have to break it down slowly and bit by bit, build one block and then you just keep adding so that no one’s going to get hurt or feel too chaotic. Because gravity is going to gravity," says Yalango-Grant. "As much as Elphaba taught us you can defy it, you cannot.”
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