Naomi Osaka exits 2024 Madrid Open in second round
By Ryan General
Former top-ranked tennis star Naomi Osaka was ousted from the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open in the second round by Liudmila Samsonova after a three-set battle.
Key points:
- Coming off a win the day before, Osaka lost to Samsonova, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 on April 25.
- The match was a rollercoaster, with both players exchanging breaks and Osaka coming close to victory.
- The loss marks another chapter in Osaka’s difficulties on clay. She has not won back-to-back matches on the slow surface since 2019.
- Samsonova’s win breaks her four-match losing streak.
The details:
- Osaka returned to tennis in January following a long hiatus. She picked up her first win on clay in two years against Belgium’s Greet Minnen on Wednesday.
- The Thursday match, which lasted two hours and 22 minutes, saw the 15th seed Samsonova dominating the first set.
- Osaka, a former world No. 1, claimed the second set and came close to winning the decider but ultimately lost.
- “This victory means everything,” said Samsonova after the match. “I was in a really tough situation today after the second set.”
- The Japanese tennis star has never reached a clay-court final and is yet to break through the third round at the French Open.
What’s next:
- Samsonova advances to play Madison Keys in the next round.
- Osaka, along with English player Emma Raducanu, has qualified for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals scheduled to be held in Seville, Spain, from Nov. 12-17.
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