Naomi Osaka, the former world number one, has broken her two-year clay-court drought by defeating lucky loser Greet Minnen 6-4, 6-1 at the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain. Osaka’s last clay-court victory came at the Madrid Open in 2022, where she beat Anastasia Potapova in the first round. The Japanese star admitted that she draws inspiration from players who excel on clay and that she is eager to improve her game on the surface. Despite not setting the lofty goal of emulating current world number one Iga Swiatek, Osaka expressed her desire to perform to the best of her abilities. Osaka, who returned from maternity leave in January, lost to Martina Trevisan at the Rouen event last week in her first clay-court outing of the season. Against Minnen, she displayed her prowess on serve, winning 76.7 percent of first-serve points and saving the only break point she faced. The Belgian Minnen was only able to convert 3 of 10 break-point opportunities. Osaka expressed her satisfaction with her performance, acknowledging her tendency to get discouraged when she fails to convert break points. She emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive mindset and capitalizing on future chances. While eager to adapt to the challenges of clay-court play, Osaka is mindful of the strengths that have brought her success. She remains committed to the fundamentals of her game while also seeking to enhance her strategies for playing on clay. Osaka’s desire to learn is evident in her efforts to study matches on the surface, which she believes will aid in her development. In other matches at the Mutua Madrid Open, qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle of Argentina made history by claiming her first WTA 1000-level victory. The world number 82 defeated 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu of Great Britain in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. Carle stepped into the tournament after Raducanu’s initial opponent, former world number one Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, withdrew during the qualifying rounds. Carle showcased her dominance, breaking Raducanu’s serve six times in seven opportunities, and securing the victory in an hour and 25 minutes. Italian qualifier Sara Errani also achieved a notable victory, defeating former world number one Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in a thrilling three-set match. The encounter, which lasted two hours and 48 minutes, saw Errani prevail 3-6, 7-5, 7-5. Errani’s success was in part due to her ability to convert 8 of 18 break-point opportunities. Despite Wozniacki’s strong performance, converting 72.7 percent of her break-point chances, she was unable to secure the win. The Madrid Open witnessed several other captivating matches, with players from various countries emerging victorious. Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Russia’s Mirra Andreeva, Americans Sloane Stephens and Lauren Davis, Serbia’s Olga Danilovic, Poland’s Magda Linette, China’s Xinyu Wang, the Czech Republic’s Sara Bejlek, and Colombia’s Emiliana Arango all prevailed in three-set battles. Straight-set wins were recorded by Andorra’s Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, Croatia’s Donna Vekic, Spain’s Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes Tormo, Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian, Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti, Australia’s Daria Saville, and the United States’ Shelby Rogers, Caroline Dolehide, Ashlyn Krueger, and Robin Montgomery.
Naomi Osaka Breaks Clay-Court Dry Spell, Lands Impressive Win in Madrid
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