Naomi Osaka had a heartbreaking end to her Madrid Open run as she lost a thriller, while Coco Gauff impressively started her campaign at Caja Magica by registering her first double-bagel win.
After clinching her first clay win in two years on Wednesday, Osaka came close to beating No. 15 seed Liudmila Samsonova but fell just short as the Russian sealed a 6-2 4-6 7-5 win. The match lasted two hours and 22 minutes and, while it was encouraging for Osaka to have managed to get back in the match, it was certainly very disappointing to lose in the end.
On the other side, No. 3 seed Gauff absolutely destroyed world No. 47 Arantxa Rus, claiming a 6-0 6-0 win. For Gauff, this was the first time in her career that she won a match without a single lost game and it took her 51 minutes.
Coco Gauff © Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
How Osaka lost a thriller to Samsonova?
Osaka got off to a very slow start to the match as she suffered back-to-back breaks and lost the opening four games of the match before Samsonova routinely closed out the set in the eighth game.
At the start of the second set, Osaka’s poor display continued as Samsonova earned an early break and a 2-0 lead. Down by a set and a break, Osaka managed to get the break back but again dropped her serve in the fifth game as Samsonova went 3-2 up in the set. Again facing a deficit of a set and a break, Osaka responded impressively as she claimed back-to-back breaks and won the next four games to send the match into a decider.
Naomi Osaka © Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
But when the third set started, Samsonova managed to regroup and break Osaka in the third game. While Osaka managed to get the break back instantly in the fourth game and then save break points in the seventh and ninth games, she lost her serve again in the critical moments in the 11th game as Samsonova opened a 6-5 lead and served out for the match in the following game.
Gauff gave no chance to Rus
In the first set, Gauff didn’t allow Rus to have a single game point and also didn’t face any break points.
Pretty much the same happened in the second set as Rus again didn’t have a single game point. However, Rus did manage to earn some break points in the second set but she missed out on all of her four break points in the second game.
Coco Gauff © Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
In her next match, Gauff plays against 2024 Australian Open semifinalist Dayana Yastremska.
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