Lucia Bronzetti secured her first-ever victory against former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka in their third encounter. The Italian triumphed in the opening round of the Mutua Madrid Open, a WTA 1000 clay-court event, on Tuesday with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Ranked No. 59, Bronzetti had previously lost both matches against Osaka, including a three-set defeat at Roland Garros last spring. However, she emerged victorious in the two-hour and 21-minute opening-round match in Madrid, advancing to the second round of the tournament for the second consecutive year.
This win marks the 26-year-old Bronzetti`s fourth career win over a former World No. 1, with three of these notable victories coming this year. Her recent successes include defeating Simona Halep in what was Halep`s final professional match in Cluj-Napoca and overcoming two-time champion Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Open in January.
Bronzetti is set to face the No. 5 seed and Australian Open champion, Madison Keys, in the next round. She will be looking to improve her head-to-head record against Top 10 players, which currently stands at 0-8, and also her 0-2 record specifically against Keys.
Rupert Caldwell