Osaka: Final Sushi Fest

News

Scores

Rankings

Lucky Letcord Podcast

Shop

Pro Gear

Pickleball

Gear Sale

Popular This Week

US Open Doubles Champion Max Purcell Accepts Provisi...

Wesley Koolhof Weds Julia Goerges

Jenson Brooksby Opens Up About Living And Playing Wi...

Coco Strikes Gold: Gauff Tops Forbes' Highest-Paid F...

Three Players Provisionally Suspended

Vekic Hires Sascha Bajin for 2025

Rafa Nadal Netflix Documentary Coming

Naomi Osaka unleashed a nine-game eruption demolishing listless world No. 1 Simona Halep, 6-3, 6-0, to charge into the Indian Wells final.

Osaka, who will face fellow 20-year-old Daria Kasatkina for the BNP Paribas Open title, is the lowest-ranked Indian Wells finalist in 13 years.

More: Osaka Trounces Halep

The 44th-ranked Osaka said reaching the final is both a lonely—and tasty—experience.

"It feels a little bit lonely, because there's, like, nobody here," Osaka told the media in Indian Wells. "As it goes on, there is less players and stuff. It's kind of cool, but also a little bit, like, sad because then you're not around the people that you talk to and stuff.

"But other than that, it's cool. Because then, like, all the sushi, there is still a lot of sushi left and stuff."

The final is an appetizing feast of varied styles pitting Kasatkina's varied spins and speeds and court sense against Osaka's prodigious power and shot-making.

Osaka, who opened the tournament dismantling Maria Sharapova, has looked sharp knocking off former Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska and 2016 US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova.

Osaka forecasts fun for her first-ever clash vs. Kasatkina, who has won nine of her last 10 matches.

"Well, I feel like it's going to be really interesting, because she kind of plays a completely different game than me, and I think we're both in the final of this type of tournament for the first time," Osaka said. "So it's going to be fun, I think."

Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

Posted: