Unseeded Osaka is champ
Indian Wells, March 19: Unseeded Naomi Osaka became the first Japanese player to win the Indian Wells final, routing Russian Daria Kasatkina 6- 3, 6- 2 on Sunday for her first WTA Tour title.
World number 44 Osaka rolled over Kasatkina, breaking her serve four times and winning the battle of the 20- year- old rising stars in just 70 minutes.
“I just knew that she was going to fight for every point, too,” said Osaka. “So couldn’t afford to lose points based on nerves, and I had to keep making the right decisions.”
Osaka captured the title on her first match point by blasting a backhand into the open side of the court.
The Japanese dynamo improved to 13- 4 on the season two days after her biggest previous win, a dominating semifinal triumph over world number one Simona Halep.
She was only the fourth unseeded player to reach I the Indian Wells final, with the most recent before her being Kim Clijsters in 2005.
The loss ends a brilliant run in the California desert by Kasatkina, who was playing in her second final in a row after she finished second best in Dubai.
Kasatkina was two points from defeat against Venus Williams in the semis but rallied for the upset triumph.
Kasatkina, who wasn’t even born when Williams first competed at Indian Wells, said she really felt the nerves getting to her on the big stage in the final.
Osaka blasted five aces, made three double faults and won 79 percent of her first- serve points.
Like Osaka, Kasatkina was playing in her first Indian Wells final. This was the first time both Indian Wells finalists were under age 21 since Serena Williams beat Clijsters in 2001.
Casey was measured in his post- game comments, saying only that the Raptors are looking for “fairness and consistency” from officials and adding: “We’ll complain in the proper way.”
His reticence came on the same day that New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry and Detroit coach Stan Van