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Match Details
Fixture: (PR) Naomi Osaka vs Clara Burel
Date: May 8, 2024
Tournament: Italian Open 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 96)
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize money: $5,509,771
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Naomi Osaka vs Clara Burel preview
Four-time Major champion Naomi Osaka faces Clara Burel in the first round of the 2024 Italian Open on Wednesday.
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Osaka's first tournament of the clay season was the Open Capfinances in Rouen. It was her first match on the surface since her first-round exit at the 2022 French Open.
Osaka lost 6-4, 6-2 to former top-20 player Martina Trevisan in the opening round in Rouen before heading to Spain for the Madrid Open. The former World No. 1 began her campaign on a victorious note, beating Greet Minnen 6-4, 6-1 in the first round.
Osaka was up against 16th seed Liudmila Samsonova in the second round. She gave a good account of herself but came up short, losing 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 to the Russian.
Meanwhile, Burel's clay swing also commenced in Rouen, where she made the second round. Her time in Madrid was quite brief, as she was ousted by Olga Danilovic in the first round.
Burel dropped down a level to participate in the WTA 125 event in Saint Malo. She secured wins over Elsa Jacquemot and Zeynep Sonmez to make the last-eight, where she lost 6-3, 6-3 to Celine Naef.
Naomi Osaka vs Clara Burel head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the two, so their head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Naomi Osaka vs Clara Burel odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Naomi Osaka vs Clara Burel prediction
Both have won just one match on clay this season, but Burel has been going through a rough patch for quite some time, winning one of her last six matches. Her last two losses were to players ranked outside the top 100.
Osaka, meanwhile, has kept her promise to contest more matches on clay this year. While her results haven't been too encouraging, she's giving it her all. She put up a good fight in her previous match against Samsonova in Madrid.
Burel's game is more suited to clay, but she's prone to letting go of healthy leads. She led Coco Gauff 5-2 in the third set during their second-round match at the Indian Wells Open in March but failed to wrap up the contest.
However, Burel is no slouch when she's focused, as she upset Jessica Pegula at the Australian Open in January. It marked her first, and so far only, win against a top-10 player.
If Burel is able to get a handle on her nerves during crunch time, she has got the game to get the better of Osaka. However, if she gives any leeway, Osaka will likely make the most of it to emerge victorious.
Pick: Naomi Osaka to win in three sets
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