BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells

Women’s Final: [19] Daria Kasatkina (RUS) vs. [44] Naomi Osaka (JPN)

It should have been a battle and the first set appeared to be heading in that direction; however, the young Russian was still exhausted after her epic semifinal battle with Venus Williams, and she wilted midway through the first set.

Osaka got off to a nervous start as expected and was immediately broken; however, she quickly regrouped and broke Kasatkina in her first service game. The first set was highly competitive and you could see the potential that the Russian had of making this a difficult match for her opponent; however, Osaka had the fresher legs and was much more alert mentally and physically.

Osaka matched Kasatkina in shots and had the added advantage of being able to end points with her power and her forehand was the weapon she used to gain the upper hand. As the Russian was broken a second time her frustration mounted and the fatigue became more evident when she was unwilling to extend the rallies and work the point to her advantage. Instead she tried to end the rallies quickly and ended up making too many unforced errors.

Once Osaka secured the first set, she relaxed and her confidence grew even more. She totally dominated Kasatkina in the second set. She served better and protected her serve much better than the Russian and she never gave her an opportunity to get back in the set and the match. Although Kasatkina was still willing to fight mentally, physically her body was exhausted.

Osaka dominated the match in the end and won 6-3, 6-2 to secure the first singles title of her young career.

SOURCE OF IMAGE:  serveandrally (Naomi Osaka)