Bronzetti downs Osaka in Madrid opening round
Lucia Bronzetti got the better of Naomi Osaka for the first time as she progressed to the second round of the Madrid Open on Tuesday.
The Italian dug deep in three sets to prevail 6-4 2-6 6-4 in a hard-fought two-hour-and-21-minute match.
There was little to split the pair at the start, with Bronzetti successfully defending two break points in the fourth game before eventually finding the edge with a three-game winning streak.
They traded breaks at the start of the second set, with Osaka finding her way back into the match when she took a 3-1 lead.
She then dug deep to hold off four break attempts by Bronzetti in the penultimate game before forcing a decider.
However, Osaka could not hold onto that momentum, seeing her serve broken in the opening game of the third. She did fight back to level 3-3, eventually forcing the score level on her fifth break attempt.
Bronzetti responded well, though, and held strong to see out the match and book a meeting with Madison Keys in the next round.
Hard-earned W
— wta (@WTA) April 22, 2025
Bronzetti defeats Osaka in a tough three-set clash!#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/XPZYlr4U9I
Data Debrief: Third time's the charm
Bronzetti had lost both of her previous meetings with Osaka, including a three-set loss at Roland Garros last year, but she overcame that hurdle on Tuesday.
In doing so, she has the most wins in 2025 against current or former WTA world number ones (three, equalling Mirra Andreeva and Jelena Ostapenko).
She also beat Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Open and was Simona Halep's final opponent, beating her in the Transylvania Open en route to the final.