The clay-court season in Madrid kicked off on Tuesday with a surprise upset as four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka bowed out in the first round of the WTA Madrid Open. Ranked 55th and unseeded, Osaka faced Italy's Lucia Bronzetti in her first match since reaching the fourth round of the Miami Open.
Osaka won the opening set 6-4 but saw Bronzetti claim the second 6-2. In a tight decider, Bronzetti edged out Osaka 6-4, saving a match point before checking Osaka was fine as they approached the net for the post-match handshake.
Bronzetti will now play fifth-seeded American Madison Keys in round two and will seek her third third-round appearance at a WTA 1000 event.
Wildcard Star Alexandra Eala
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Alexandra Eala continued her breakout run as a wild card by defeating Viktoriya Tomova 6-3, 6-2 in round one. Eala now rematches Iga Swiatek in the second round after stunning the Polish star as a wild card in Miami last month.
As the clay swing heats up, all eyes will be on how Osaka regroups and whether Eala can pull off another upset in Madrid.
Reference(s):
Osaka's clay-court season starts with a loss in Madrid Open 1st round
cgtn.com
