Caroline
Garcia (No. 27) secures a tremendous victory over
Naomi Osaka (No. 229) and
advances to the fourth round of the
Miami Open. The 30-year-old Frenchwoman
overcame shoulder issues and outlasted the former world No. 1 in a match that
featured nearly 30 aces between both players.
From the
outset, both players showcased that their serves would be crucial to the
match's development. Garcia had a 64% first serve percentage, winning 78% of
them, while Osaka had a 70% first serve percentage, winning 69% of them. The
effectiveness of both players' serves was evident as neither managed to secure
a break throughout the set.
Despite
having to fend off break points against each other, the set progressed to a
tie-breaker, where Garcia consistently took the lead only for Osaka to quickly
counter. Unlike the rest of the set where the serve was nearly unbreakable, in
the tie-breaker, eight out of the 11 points played went to the returning
player, with Garcia ultimately clinching the set 7-6(4).
In the
second set, both players lowered their first-serve percentages but maintained
their effectiveness to avoid facing break points in the initial games. The
first opportunity came for Osaka in the sixth game, taking a 4-2 lead, but she
couldn't hold onto it in the next game as Garcia broke back.
At that
point, a medical time-out was called to attend to
Caroline Garcia for
discomfort in her right shoulder. Upon her return to the court, she maintained
her service despite receiving attention again when the score was 5-4 in favor
of Osaka.
Nevertheless,
Garcia returned to the court with the aim of finishing the match as quickly as
possible and not continuing to face issues with her shoulder. The Frenchwoman
claimed the final three games consecutively, including a break, to seal the
match in straight sets by 7-6(4), 7-5. In the fourth round, she will face Coco
Gauff (No. 3), who defeated Nadia Podoroska (6-1, 6-2) and Oceane Dodin (6-4,
6-0).