article-image

Osaka stunned by Gibson in Miami Open second round

0
0
Clock Icon4 hoursTennis

Naomi Osaka was stunned by the in-form Talia Gibson, who recorded a straight-sets win to progress to the third round of the Miami Open.

Gibson, who bested Ekaterina Alexandrova, Clara Tauson and Jasmine Paolini to reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals, earned a 7-5 6-4 in just under an hour-and-a-half.

Osaka started on the front foot, forcing two break points in the second game, but she could not convert them to take an early advantage.

That seemingly cost her as Gibson took the first set with a three-game winning streak, holding off a further two break points before snatching the lead.

And the youngster followed that up by winning the first two games of the second set to put her in total control, with Osaka unable to cancel out her advantage, and Gibson getting over the line with her second match point.

Elsewhere, Amanda Anisimova cruised into the next round with a 6-4 6-2 victory over Yuliia Starodubtseva.

The pair traded breaks early in the first set, but it was the American who eventually pulled in front, before cruising through the second.

Mirra Andreeva also progressed, coming out on top with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 win over Marie Bouzkova in two hours.

Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula went through to the third round, with the former beating Elena Gabriela Ruse 6-0 6-2, while the latter benefited from Francesca Jones' retirement at 6-1 3-0 up.

Data Debrief: Gibson pounces on Osaka's slip

Osaka lost just one point behind her first serve in the first set, and served seven aces – but let Gibson in at 5-5, and the teenager never looked back.

The four-time major champion was almost perfect on serve, winning 85% of her first-serve points (29 out of 34), but Gibson held her ground, saving all four break points she faced and won 33% of her return points (20 out of 60).

Meanwhile, Andreeva is the third player to claim 30+ hard-court Tier I/WTA-1000 wins before turning 19 since the format's introduction in 1990, after Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova.