NEW YORK (AP) — Naomi Osaka is bringing the Labubu fad to the U.S. Open — all the way to at least the quarterfinals.
Osaka has played four matches at the Grand Slam tennis tournament so far this year, each time toting a different version of the popular plush toy attached to her racket bag. And she’s won each time, too, including a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Coco Gauff on Monday.
At her postmatch news conference, four-time major champion Osaka pulled her latest U.S. Open Labubu — a shiny, silver one — from the pocket of her black jacket and introduced the creature to reporters, saying, “Her name is Althea Glitterson,” a tribute to Althea Gibson, the tennis champion who broke the sport’s color barrier 75 years ago.
Osaka’s Labubus at Flushing Meadows have sported varying color schemes and nicknames, all decked out with shiny get-ups.
She brought one she called Billie Jean Bling — a la tennis great Billie Jean King, get it? — to the court for the first round.
That one even has an official U.S. Open credential to prove it, replete with a photo, identifying Ms. Bling as a player guest with full access to player dining. (The U.S. Tennis Association confirmed that it provided the printed pass but noted that it won’t work with the scanning machines security guards have at entrances.)
There also was a second one modeled after King, even sporting the Hall of Famer’s trademark red eyeglasses, known as La-Billie-Bu. Another was named Arthur Flashe — as in Arthur Ashe, for whom the main U.S. Open stadium is named.
The Labubu, with its pointed ears and pointy teeth, was created by artist and illustrator Kasing Lung and made its debut in 2015 via three picture books inspired by Nordic mythology.
In 2019, Lung made a deal with Pop Mart, a company that caters to toy connoisseurs and influencers, to sell the figurines. Four years later, when Pop Mart began selling Labubus on key rings, the toothy monsters began to be seen everywhere — and the phenomenon really has taken off lately.
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