Home favorite Sorribes Tormo takes down Osaka on day of Madrid upsets
The Spaniard reached the third round at her home tournament for the first time in 10 appearances after defeating the former world No. 1 in straight sets.
WATCH: Highlights from Sara Sorribes Tormo's emotional second-round win over Naomi Osaka at the 2022 Mutua Madrid Open.
For ten years, Sara Sorribes Tormo had never been past the second round at her Mutua Madrid Open home tournament. But returning to the Spanish capital after the best season of her career, the 25-year-old charged past Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-1 to reach the round of 16 on Sunday.
The No. 47-ranked Spaniard had already begun her Madrid campaign with a hard-fought victory over Roland Garros finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova—just the fifth Top 20 win of her career—and had to make a quick turnaround to face Osaka next. The Spaniard’s game has always troubled big-hitting Osaka, as her tireless counterpunching absorbs her opponents' firepower and tends to draw out the unforced errors.
“I think I have played much better today than the other time [we faced each other],” said Sorribes Tormo, recalling her 6-0, 6-3 BJK Cup win over the then-No. 10-ranked Osaka in 2020.
“I have been able to play the balls much longer, and in some moments, I didn't allow her to step into the court, whereas last time I think that she committed more unforced errors… I think today I have played really well.”
The Japanese player sported heavy taping around her left calf, and afterward Osaka told journalists she had been struggling due to a strained Achilles. Her limited movement was quickly obvious, and Sorribes Tormo had little mercy as she lengthened the rallies and kept Osaka on the run. She tallied three winners across both sets, but kept her scorecard tidy with only three unforced errors; by contrast, Osaka's 25 unforced errors outpaced her 23 winners.
Osaka struggled to get her booming first serve in play, serving at just 54 percent, and as a result she wasn’t able to take control of the points and bring Sorribes Tormo out of her comfort zone. The Spaniard broke her four times in nine chances, and needed just under an hour and a half to move into the third round.
“[I was thinking] that is my tenth time here, and I never passed the second round,” she said afterward. “So I was thinking a bit of that. I was just really, really happy.
"My family came to see me. My grandfather came to see me, and, I was super, super happy with that. For him, as well. Many things came to my mind.”
She is the only Spanish player remaining after a wave of upsets swept through the women’s draw in the first two rounds of action, with world No. 2 Paula Badosa falling to an on-song Simona Halep yesterday and Garbine Muguruza bowing out to Anhelina Kalinina 6-3, 6-0 earlier in the day.
Sorribes Tormo will next face Daria Kasatkina, who scored a big upset of her own earlier in the day to knock out No. 4 seed Maria Sakkari 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.