Madrid [Spain], April 25 (ANI): The No.15 seed Liudmila Samsonova produced a gritty victory against former World No.1 and Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the second round of the Madrid Open on Thursday.

Samsonova prevailed 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 against the former World No.1 and posted her first match-win since February. After restraining the first set, Samsonova held off a surging Osaka in the three-set battle to record a win in a match that lasted for two hours and a 22-minute victory.

Also Read | IPL 2024: Gulbadin Naib Replaces Injured Mitchell Marsh in Delhi Capitals’ Squad for Remainder of Season.

Samsonova fired 36 winners to Osaka's 22 and the No.15 seeded used those winners to build a commanding 6-2, 4-2 lead.

Osaka, on the other hand, fought hard to tie the match at 4-4. Osaka played another powerful return game to gain three set chances at 5-4, and the match was tied after Samsonova double-faulted to lose the second set.

Also Read | SRH 85/6 in 9.1 Overs (Target 207) | SRH vs RCB Live Score Updates of IPL 2024: Karn Sharma Strikes, Dismisses Abdul Samad.

Samsonova's third set featured outstanding drop shots as well as her usual hard groundstrokes, but Osaka continued to avoid danger with well-timed serves. Osaka saved break points in three of her first five service games of the set, as the match tied 5-5.

However, another successful drop shot handed Samsonova a break opportunity in that game, which she converted for a 6-5 lead after an Osaka backhand went long.

Samsonova remained unconcerned when serving for the match, which was her first win in two months, firing back-to-back aces to wrap up proceedings. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)