Naomi Osaka loses to Camila Osorio in Indian Wells 1st round
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Camila Osorio defeated former champion Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-4 in the first round at Indian Wells on Wednesday night, becoming the first Colombian woman to beat a former world No. 1.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, never looked comfortable against Osorio’s dynamic shotmaking and piled up unforced errors on a cool evening in the California desert.
After a near flawless first set from Osorio, Osaka fended off a match point at 5-3 in the second to stay alive, much to the delight of the fans.
Nerves appeared to get to Osorio as she attempted to serve out the match in the next game, where she double faulted twice and fell behind 40-0.
She regrouped, however, saving four break points in the game and crushing a forehand winner that caught the line to advance, celebrating with a dance on the court under the lights.
“First, good evening, everyone, I’m Camila Osorio,” she said with a laugh in an on-court interview. “It’s crazy for me, it’s a dream come true. I really wanted to play on this court and was really excited and looking forward to playing a champion like Naomi, so I can’t believe it.”
Osorio, the world No. 53, takes on 22-seed Clara Tauson of Denmark in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.
It was Osaka’s first match since withdrawing from the Australian Open third round because of an abdominal strain.
Osaka, who beat Daria Kasatkina in the Indian Wells final in 2018 for her first career title, appeared to struggle with the consistency of her ball tosses and accuracy off both wings.
Reuters contributed to this report.
INDIAN WELLS, Calif — Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova lost a tight three-setter in the opening round of Indian Wells on Wednesday, falling 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to France’s Varvara Gracheva.
The loss leaves Kvitova searching for her first win since returning to the tour following the birth of her first child in July. She also lost in the first round in Austin last week in her first tournament following a 16-month absence.
Kvitova, who was granted a wild card for the BNP Paribas Open, grabbed the first set as both players struggled to control their serve on a cloudy and breezy day on Stadium One court.
Gracheva settled in to level the match and jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the deciding set.
Kvitova refused to go quietly, winning three straight games to take a 4-3 lead in the third, but Gracheva took control from there, dominating the final three games.
Gracheva, who next faces Russian teenage phenomenon Mirra Andreeva, said she wanted to congratulate Kvitova for juggling the demands of motherhood and being a professional athlete.
“Because she had a child quite recently and I’m so happy that she now has the role of a mother and a tennis player, which is very demanding,” Gracheva said in an on-court interview. “It’s very inspiring for sports, athletes, women — it’s just amazing. Petra, my admiration to you — you’re the best.”
Caroline Garcia also advanced to the second round with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Bernarda Pera to set up a showdown against defending champion Iga Swiatek.
Swiatek, the No. 2 seed, has a 4-1 record against Garcia.
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus battled past American Clervie Ngounoue 6-4, 7-6 (7) to get her campaign for a third Indian Wells crown off to a winning start.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Camila Osorio became the first Colombian woman to defeat a former World No. 1 with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over 2018 champion Naomi Osaka at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Wednesday night.
Indian Wells: Draws | Scores | Order of play
In a first-round showdown between players separated by only three spots in the PIF WTA Rankings, it was No. 53 Osorio who took 1 hour and 31 minutes to oust 56th-ranked Osaka of Japan, a four-time Grand Slam champion.
An Osaka win would have set up a rematch of this year’s Auckland final in the second round, but instead it will be Osorio who takes on No. 22 seed Clara Tauson of Denmark, this year’s titlist in New Zealand. Osorio defeated Tauson in their only previous meeting via retirement, on the green clay of Charleston in 2021.
Back on court: Both Osorio and Osaka were making returns to the tour after over a month away. This was just Osaka’s third event of the season; she withdrew from both the Auckland final and the third round of the Australian Open due to an abdominal issue.
Osorio was also playing her first event since January, when she fell to eventual champion Elise Mertens in the first round of Singapore. The Colombian withdrew from last week’s Merida main draw, also due to an abdominal injury.
In the end, it was Osorio who came back to action victorious, earning her first-ever main-draw win at the BNP Paribas Open after first-round losses in 2021 and 2022. She also avenged a straight-sets loss to Osaka in their lone previous meeting, at the 2022 Australian Open.
Tale of the match: Osaka, who won her first career title here in the desert in 2018, was under pressure early, having to fend off two break points in her second service game. However, the Japanese star held on all the way up to 4-4.
But by that same juncture, Osorio had won her last two service games at love, as she used incredible defending to set up finishing plays. That speed paid dividends when she drew errors from Osaka to break for a 5-4 lead.
Osorio reached set point when a netcord ball clipped the outside of the sideline, and she converted that chance after Osaka missed a return. Osorio had three fewer winners than Osaka in the first set, but she also had eight fewer unforced errors, tipping the scale in her favor.
Osorio kept her momentum into the second set, holding a match point on Osaka’s serve at 5-3 and serving for the match at 5-4. Osaka held a total of four break points in that game, but Osorio swatted them all away before closing out the match with a pinpoint forehand winner on the sideline.
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WTA Indian Wells Day 1 Predictions Including Naomi Osaka Vs Camila Osorio
As always, there is a packed schedule for the opening day of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka will play her first match since the Australian Open on Day 1. That contest and three others are predicted in this article. We at LWOT have predictions for the other women’s matches in separate articles, including Victoria Azarenka vs Clervie Ngounoue, Petra Kvitova vs Varvara Gracheva, and Caroline Garcia vs Bernarda Pera.
Head-to-head: First meeting
Baptiste has struggled for form since the start of the season, but this is a good opportunity to get a victory against her compatriot and fellow qualifier. Osuigwe is ranked outside the Top 200 although she did reach a couple of ITF finals in January. However, the 22-year-old has consistently found it challenging to reach her potential having been touted as someone who could have a successful career as a teenager. Baptiste’s more steady game makes her the favorite to progress.
Prediction: Baptiste in 2
Head-to-head: First meeting
Dolehide reached the third round in her previous two appearances in Indian Wells and looked very comfortable in the desert. Rakhimova has not found any form this season and starts this match as the outsider. How prone to inconsistency Dolehide is means her opponents have some hope to cling onto, but the American is undoubtedly the favorite to progress in front of a home crowd.
Prediction: Dolehide in 2
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Head-to-head: First meeting
After reaching the Australian Open semifinal, Yastremska found the rest of the 2024 season difficult. Her level has been much better so far this year, including a run to the final of the Linz Open. Yuan enters the Indian Wells Open after falling at the first hurdle in her ATX Open title defense. The Chinese player will need to do more than defending than she likes against the more powerful Yastremska and I do not think the matchup suits her.
Prediction: Yastremska in 3
Head-to-head: Osaka 1-0 Osorio
This match will undoubtedly be attack vs defense for long periods. Although Osorio likes to hit aggressively with her forehand when she can, the Colombian’s game is built mainly on athleticism and strong defense. Osaka will prevail if she is near her level from the opening month of 2025 when she reached the ASB Classic final and the Australian Open third round before getting injured at both tournaments. The Japanese star is the favorite, but Osorio is one of the biggest fighters in the game and her retrieval skills could frustrate Osaka if she is having an off-day.
Prediction: Osaka in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
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