Tennis Star Naomi Osaka Is Bringing Labubu to the US Open
Naomi Osaka honors tennis pioneers like Althea Gibson and Billie Jean King with custom Labubu toys, each uniquely designed by New York artist Kerin Rose Gold.
- Naomi Osaka reached the semifinals of the 2025 US Open, carrying custom Labubu plush toys on her racket bag for each match.
- Labubu, created by Hong Kong artist Kaising Lung in 2015, gained wider fame after a 2019 collaboration with Pop Mart, resulting in over 300 figurines by 2025.
- Osaka’s Labubus were tennis-themed, named after great players like Billie Jean King, Althea Gibson, and Arthur Ashe, with designs customized by New York artist Kerin Rose Gold.
- After her semifinal loss to Amanda Anisimova, Osaka said, “Oh, don't me cry, man,” and expressed she was fine with losing despite being upset.
- Osaka’s use of Labubu figures highlights a lighthearted personal branding during her return from maternity leave and has drawn significant fan attention.
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Naomi Osaka's loss to Amanda Anisimova at the US Open means fans won't get to see her final custom Labubu plan ... but the designer behind her viral figurines tells TMZ Sports she'd love to still bring the vision to life. Osaka's tournament run…
Meet the Artist Bedazzling Naomi Osaka’s Labubus (Overnight)
While Naomi Osaka fought through her U.S. Open quarterfinal in Queens on Wednesday evening, an artist named Kerin Rose Gold was at a gallery in Lower Manhattan, anxiously checking the score on her phone. Ms. Osaka unleashed a series of exacting groundstrokes to win the first set, then stalled to a tie in the second. Once the tennis star had climbed to a 3-1 lead in the deciding tiebreak, Ms. Gold excused herself and raced back to her studio. She…

Labubu lament: Naomi Osaka says plush toy for the US Open final would've been Osaka herself
Naomi Osaka’s last Labubu at the U.S. Open was going to be Osaka herself. For Osaka, that was the real bummer about her loss one match short of the final.
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