Naomi Osaka and Daria Kasatkina cause Indian Wells upsets

Naomi Osaka and Daria Kasatkina caused major shocks at the BNP Paribas Open, beating Simona Halep and Venus Williams respectively to reach the final.

Unseeded Osaka stunned world number one Halep 6-3 6-0, winning nine straight games from 3-3 in the first set to eliminate the top seed from the competition.

Osaka’s opponent in the final is fellow 20-year-old Kasatkina, the 20th seed, who earlier had overcome American eighth seed Williams 4-6 6-4 7-5.

Williams becomes the fourth major champion and current top-20 ranked players that Kasatkina has beaten this month, joining Sloane Stephens, Caroline Wozniacki, and Angelique Kerber on the list.

Speaking after the win, the Russian told the media: “It’s crazy actually this night. We played almost three hours – incredible match.

“Match like this, you’re just speechless.

“Even (when) I meet my coach and my brother after the match, I was not able to say anything. I was just, like, ‘Aaaaah, okay, that was pretty nice’. Too many emotions and you cannot explain everything.”