Caroline GARCIA outlasts Naomi OSAKA in big servers clash, reaches Miami Open fourth round

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.

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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.

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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).

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