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Naomi Osaka, Daria Kasatkina Set For HUGE Indian Wells Final

By Harry Floyd

INDIAN WELLS, CA - MARCH 16: Naomi Osaka of Japan serves in her semifinal victory over Simona Halep of Romania during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 16, 2018 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
INDIAN WELLS, CA - MARCH 16: Naomi Osaka of Japan serves in her semifinal victory over Simona Halep of Romania during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 16, 2018 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Naomi Osaka is into the finals at Indian Wells 2018. The WTA Tour Premier event will have a new champion after this weekend.

Naomi Osaka reaches the finals at Indian Wells 2018. The 20-year-old tennis star is squaring off against another rising star in the sport, Daria Kasatkina. Neither player has won before at Indian Wells. The WTA Tour Premier tournament will have a brand new champion after the weekend.

Unseeded at Indian Wells, Osaka has put on a fantastic performance so far. Her two wins coming into the finals match were against top players in women’s singles tennis. Defeating world No. 1 Simona Halep in the semis, Osaka won 6-3, 6-0. Prior to her meeting with Halep, she took down the fifth seeded Karolina Pliskova in straight sets. Momentum is on her side right now.

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Along with Osaka, Kasatkina too is having an impressive run so far. Big wins for her at Indian Wells have included upsets over Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber, and Venus Williams. The 20-year-old Russian tennis star is on fire at the WTA Tour event. She came into play as the 20th seed on the women’s singles side. While Kasatkina might have a slight edge over Osaka, anything can happen in the finals.

Naomi Osaka seeks her first career WTA singles title. It just might come at one the biggest tournaments on the 2018 WTA Tour.

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It’s not a Grand Slam, but action at Indian Wells features some of the best in men’s and women’s tennis every single year. A Masters 1000 event on the ATP World Tour and a WTA Tour Premier event for the women, Indian Wells is without a doubt one of the biggest tournaments in the first half of the tour. Osaka is yet to win a WTA singles title. She has reached as high as the world No. 40 ranking in women’s singles and has posted an impressive singles match record throughout her career. Osaka is on the verge of greatness. So too, however, is Kasatkina.

Daria Kasatkina and Naomi Osaka represent the next star generation in women’s singles tennis. Both will have huge impacts on the WTA Tour in the coming years.

Next: Genie Bouchard's 2018 Troubles

No matter who wins the final at Indian Wells, both Naomi Osaka and Daria Kasatkina are here to stay. Kasatkina is the current world No. 19 on the WTA Tour. Reaching career heights as of late, she is poised to continue rising in the rankings. Osaka has cracked the WTA Top 50 and looks to be rising as well. Check back to see how the historic finals meeting goes down this weekend.

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