NEW YORK (AP/HOWARD FENDRICH) — Naomi Osaka is bringing the Labubu fad to the U.S. Open — all the way in which to no less than the quarterfinals.
Osaka has performed 4 matches on the Grand Slam tennis match to date this 12 months, every time toting a special model of the favored plush toy connected to her racket bag. And she or he’s gained every time, too, together with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Coco Gauff on Monday.
Osaka’s Labubus at Flushing Meadows have sported various coloration schemes and nicknames, all decked out with shiny get-ups.
She introduced one she referred to as Billie Jean Bling — a la tennis nice Billie Jean King, get it? — to the courtroom for the primary spherical.
That one even has an official U.S. Open credential to show it, replete with a photograph, figuring out Ms. Bling as a participant visitor with full entry to participant eating. (The U.S. Tennis Affiliation confirmed that it supplied the printed cross however famous that it gained’t work with the scanning machines safety guards have at entrances.)
There additionally was a second one modeled after King, even sporting the Corridor of Famer’s trademark pink eyeglasses, generally known as La-Billie-Bu. One other was named Arthur Flashe — as in Arthur Ashe, for whom the primary U.S. Open stadium is called.
The Labubu, with its pointed ears and pointy tooth, was created by artist and illustrator Kasing Lung and made its debut in 2015 through three image books impressed by Nordic mythology.
In 2019, Lung made a take care of Pop Mart, an organization that caters to toy connoisseurs and influencers, to promote the collectible figurines. 4 years later, when Pop Mart started promoting Labubus on key rings, the toothy monsters started to be seen in every single place — and the phenomenon actually has taken off currently.
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Initially Printed: September 1, 2025 at 3:32 PM PDT
