Lucia Bronzetti finally achieved her first victory over Naomi Osaka on their third encounter during the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday. The Italian player defeated the former World No. 1 in the opening round of the clay-court WTA 1000 event with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Ranked World No. 59, Bronzetti had lost their previous two matches, including a three-set battle last spring at Roland Garros. However, she prevailed in this first-round match that lasted 2 hours and 21 minutes, securing her spot in the second round in Madrid for the second consecutive year.
The 26-year-old now boasts four career wins against former World No. 1 players, with three of those significant victories coming this year. Earlier, she defeated Simona Halep in what turned out to be Halep`s final career match in Cluj-Napoca, and she also overcame two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka in January.
Both players arrived searching for form
Both competitors came into Madrid looking to find their rhythm. Bronzetti was on a three-match losing streak, which included a straight-sets defeat to a much lower-ranked French teenager last week in Rouen. Meanwhile, Osaka was playing her first match since her fourth-round loss to Jasmine Paolini at the Miami Open almost a month prior.
In the initial stages of the first set, the four-time major champion, Osaka, displayed sharp serving. However, the critical service break in the opening set occurred at 3-3, with Bronzetti winning three consecutive points thanks to errors on groundstrokes from Osaka.
Will Bronzetti snap another winless spell in the next round?
Seeking to reach the third round of a WTA 1000 event for the third time, Bronzetti is set to face the World No. 5 seed and reigning Australian Open champion, Madison Keys. Bronzetti will be hoping to end multiple losing streaks in this upcoming match, as she currently holds an 0-8 record against Top 10 players and is 0-2 head-to-head against Keys.
