MADRID — Naomi Osaka‘s clay-court season started with a loss in the first round of the Madrid Open against Lucia Bronzetti on Tuesday.
Japan’s four-time Grand Slam champion stumbled on match point as Bronzetti completed a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win before checking whether Osaka was OK as they approached the net for a postmatch handshake.
The 55th-ranked Osaka was unseeded in Madrid for her first match in almost a month since reaching the fourth round of the Miami Open. Italy’s Bronzetti will play fifth-seeded American Madison Keys in the second round.
Alexandra Eala will get a rematch with Iga Swiatek in the second round in Madrid after stunning the Polish player as a wild card in Miami last month. The 19-year-old Eala won her first-round match 6-3, 6-2 against Viktoriya Tomova.
“Each match is a different story,” Eala said. “Even if it’s against the same player every time — doesn’t matter if I play her at the same time next year in Miami or in Madrid next year, it’s going to be a different story than the last one.”
Caroline Dolehide of the U.S. won 6-4, 6-4 against Elina Avanesyan to set up a second-round meeting with Liudmila Samsonova.
Another American to win was Peyton Stearns, who rallied to get past Kimberly Birrell 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. Hailey Baptiste defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (4).
