Daria Kasatkina steamrolls Angelique Kerber, faces Venus Williams next

WTA Tour

Daria Kasatkina needed only 57 minutes to brush aside Angelique Kerber at the Indian Wells Masters.

The 20-year-old produced a masterclass as she defeated two-time Grand Slam winner Kerber 6-0, 6-2 to reach her first WTA Premier Mandatory semi-final.

Kasatkina took the opening set in 22 minutes after breaking her more experienced opponent three times, and she claimed another two breaks of serve in the second to secure her third win over a Grand Slam winner having also beaten Sloane Stephens and Caroline Wozniacki in earlier rounds.

“The weather was on point. My kick was on point. Everything was [fitting] well,” the Russian said after her win.

She will face Venus Williams for a place in the final after the American defeated Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 6-2.

The 37-year-old broke in the sixth game of the first set and then in the first game of the second, but Suarez Navarro hit back immediately only to lose her serve again in the fifth and seventh games.

“This was my first breakout tournament when I was 16 so to come back and get closer to hopefully a title, it’s like a dream come true,” Venus said after reaching the semi-finals in Indian Wells for the first time since 2001.

Angelique Kerber Carla Suarez Navarro Daria Kasatkina News Venus Williams WTA Tour

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