🎾 WTA Madrid: Naomi Osaka vs Lucia Bronzetti

🎾 WTA Madrid: Naomi Osaka vs Lucia Bronzetti – Match Preview

🧠 Form & Context

🇯🇵 Naomi Osaka

• Limited action, solid results: The former world No. 1 has played just four tournaments in 2025 but made the Auckland final and reached the fourth round in Miami.
• Clay court doubts: Clay remains her least successful surface. This will be her first match on it this season.
• Madrid flashback: Her best result here came in 2019 with a quarterfinal appearance. She’s failed to make it past the third round in all other editions.
• Building upward: Her mindset and fitness appear stronger this season, and she’s gradually rediscovering her top-tier level. A clay breakthrough would be a major step.

🇮🇹 Lucia Bronzetti

• Tough start on clay: Entering Madrid after back-to-back first-round losses to Zhang Shuai and qualifier Rakotomanga Rajaonah.
• Flat season: Her runner-up finish in Cluj-Napoca has been the lone bright spot. She’s struggled to advance past early rounds elsewhere.
• Madrid struggles: Has a 1–2 career record at the Caja Mágica and has never progressed past the second round.
• Confidence lacking: Comes into this match short on momentum and in need of a turnaround performance.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Madrid’s faster clay conditions could work in Naomi Osaka’s favor. The altitude will help her powerful serve and aggressive groundstrokes, making it easier for her to dictate play—especially against a player like Bronzetti who’s struggled to absorb pace this season.

While Osaka lacks recent match experience on clay, her overall game and form in 2025 still look far superior to Bronzetti’s. The Italian has been unable to build rhythm and confidence on the surface, and her losses to low-ranked players raise red flags about how she’ll handle Osaka’s pace and shot selection.

Osaka may need a few games to find her footing on the dirt, but if she settles quickly, she’ll likely overwhelm Bronzetti with her court positioning and first-strike offense.

🔮 Prediction

Pick: Naomi Osaka in 2 sets

Osaka’s power and baseline control—especially in Madrid’s altitude—should give her a relatively straightforward path to the second round, even as she shakes off some early clay rust.