Lucia Bronzetti finally defeated Naomi Osaka at the Mutua Madrid Open, achieving her first win against the former World No. 1 after two previous encounters. The Italian secured this significant victory in the first round of the WTA 1000 clay-court event with a final score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Bronzetti, currently ranked World No. 59, had previously lost to Osaka twice, including a three-set match at Roland Garros the previous spring. This time, she triumphed in a match that lasted 2 hours and 21 minutes, successfully reaching the second round in Madrid for the second consecutive year.
This victory marks the 26-year-old Bronzetti`s fourth career win against a former World No. 1 player, with three of these notable wins occurring this year. She was the opponent who defeated Simona Halep in her final career match at her home tournament in Cluj-Napoca, and she also overcame two-time champion Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Open earlier in January.
In the upcoming second round, Bronzetti is scheduled to play against the fifth seed, Madison Keys, who is the reigning Australian Open champion. Bronzetti will be looking to improve her head-to-head record, as she currently stands at 0-8 against Top 10 players and 0-2 specifically against Keys.
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