Japan’s Naomi Osaka secures maiden WTA Tour crown at Indian Wells

Naomi Osaka claimed the first WTA Tour title of her career with victory over Russia’s Daria Kasatkina in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

The Japanese 20-year-old capped a dream run by overcoming her opponent 6-3 6-2 to become the first unseeded champion at the event since Kim Clijsters in 2005.

But she struggled to assert herself in the early stages against world number 19 Kasatkina, dropping her opening service game of the match with a succession of forehand errors.

It would prove the only break of the match for Kasatkina, who was broken twice herself as Osaka settled into her stride to take the first set.

And, with the biggest win of her career looming, Osaka showed admirable poise to ease through the first set without facing a break point on her own serve.

Osaka told media after the match: “I was extremely stressed and extremely nervous, but my plan was to fake that I’m very calm.

“I just knew that she was going to fight for every point, too, so I couldn’t afford to lose points based on nerves, and I had to keep making the right decisions.”