Vicky Jiménez Falls to Naomi Osaka in Indian Wells Second Round

Andorran tennis player Vicky Jiménez put up a strong fight but fell in the second round of the Indian Wells Masters 1,000 to Japan's Naomi Osaka, the world number 16, early Saturday morning.

Jiménez lost in straight sets, 5-7, 2-6, after a 1-hour, 28-minute match. The Andorran started poorly, dropping the first seven points as Osaka raced to a 0-4 lead with two service breaks. Jiménez mounted a comeback, however, activating her best shots to level the first set at 5-5 and even serving for 6-5. Osaka broke back and closed out the set 7-5 on her third set point.

The second set began more evenly, with both players holding serve to 2-2. Osaka then broke Jiménez's serve, which proved decisive. Jiménez saved three break points later but couldn't recover, as Osaka reeled off four straight games to seal the 6-2 win on her second match point.

Despite the defeat, Jiménez extended her positive run, having lost only two of her last nine matches. Over the past two weeks, she beat four top-100 players, including Britain's Caty McNally (world number 68) in the first round of the main draw. She also reached the quarterfinals at the WTA 500 in Mérida, Mexico, and earned two qualifying wins to advance at Indian Wells.

Her performance boosts her WTA ranking provisionally to number 86—her career best inside the top 100—pending Monday's official update, improving on her previous high of 97.