First-time winner Osaka’s ‘worst speech of all-time’

Indian Wells: Japan’s Naomi Osaka claimed her first career title with a commanding 6-3 6-2 victory over Russian Daria Kasatkina in a battle of 20-year-olds at the Indian Wells Masters on Sunday. The unseeded Haitian-Japanese player became the youngest Indian Wells champion since Ana Ivanovic was victorious a decade ago. She dropped only one set in the tournament. Osaka ousted Maria Sharapova, fifth seed Karolina Pliskova and then world No. 1 Simona Halep in the semifinals on her way to the title.

“If you put in a lot of hard work, you can play well,” said Osaka, who was playing in only her second final after being the runner-up in Tokyo in 2016. “If you try and believe in yourself, you can win.” 

After several unforced errors to open the first set, the youngster, who resides in the United States, took control of the tie. “She probably wasn’t going to give me any balls so I just had to stay very consistent,” Osaka said.

Using her explosive power, Osaka delivered 23 winners to Kasatkina’s 10 and won 79 percent on her first serve.

But Osaka will need to practice on her acceptance speeches. “Hi, I’m Naomi,’” she started Sunday’s speech, quickly adding “OK, never mind.” 

Known for her shyness, she was definitely more at home on the court than accepting her first trophy. “This is probably going to be like the worst acceptance speech of all-time,” she said after forgetting sponsors and supporters she wanted to thank. — Reuters