The third time was the charm for Lucia Bronzetti against Naomi Osaka on Tuesday at the Mutua Madrid Open, as the Italian earned her first-ever win against the former World No. 1 in the first round of the clay-court WTA 1000 event, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Madrid: Draws | Scores | Order of play | Tournament info
Bronzetti, ranked No. 59, was 0-2 against Osaka previously — including a three-set lost last spring at Roland Garros — but came through the opening round in a 2-hour and 21-minute match, reaching the second round in Madrid for the second year in a row.
The 26-year-old now boasts four career wins against former World No. 1s — three of which have come this year. She was Simona Halep’s final opponent — beating the Romanian at her home tournament in Cluj-Napoca in Halep’s last career match — and also topped two-time champion Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Open in January.
She advances to face No. 5 seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the hopes of next turning around an 0-8 head-to-head record against Top 10 players, and also an 0-2 mark against Keys.
More to come…