By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, March 11, 2019
Naomi Osaka swept Danielle Collins for her ninth straight Indian Wells win, setting up a fourth-round clash vs. Belinda Bencic.
Photo credit: BNP Paribas Open Facebook
Reveling in achievement isn't exactly Naomi Osaka's style.
The explosive Osaka celebrated her maiden major at the US Open playing video games.
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The world No. 1 continues to push all the right buttons in her Indian Wells title defense.
In a highly-anticipated match of Australian Open champion and semifinalist, Osaka overwhelmed Danielle Collins, 6-4, 6-2, charging into the BNP Paribas Open fourth round.
The two-time Grand Slam champion punished Collins' second serve converting four of nine break points.
Osaka hit bigger, beat her fellow Floridian in heavy crosscourt forehand exchanges and defended her second serve with greater vigor. Osaka won 71 percent (12 of 17) second-serve points, while Collins won just 43 percent (17 of 40) of her second-serve deliveries.
The reigning champion stretched her Indian Wells winning streak to nine matches setting up a clash of streaking shotmakers when she faces Belinda Bencic for a quarterfinal spot.
Bencic celebrated her 22nd birthday yesterday dining on cheese cake and feasted on Ekaterina Alexandrova's serve today. Bencic converted six of seven break points breezing through a 66-minute victory.
"I remember I most recently played her at Hopman Cup," Osaka said of Bencic. "I lost that match. Yeah, I mean, I think that's really amazing, the things that she's done and the fact that she was able to come back from her injury and still play at a really top level.
"I know we both really want to win this next match. Yeah, I mean, I think we are both looking forward to it. Because we are the same age, I know that people are going to hype this match up. It should be fun."
The 23rd-seeded Swiss has been a desert queen in recent weeks. Bencic posted her eighth straight win following her run to the Dubai title last month where she knocked off four Top 10 opponents in succession: Aryna Sabalenka, Simona Halep, Elina Svitolina and Petra Kvitova to claim her third career title.
"I'm on a winning streak," Bencic told the media in Indian Wells. "I think the match toughness is there, so even though when you're in close scores, you can be there, you believe in your game, and you can go for your shots more than when you're still trying to find your rhythm and you didn't play much."
Questions surrounded Osaka's return to Palm Springs as she arrived accompanied by new coach Jermaine Jenkins, who succeed Sascha Bajin, coming off a dismal 6-3, 6-3, defeat to Kristina Mladenovic in Dubai last month.
The world No. 1 said she wasn't back in Palm Springs to defend, she was back "to get another one."
The 21-year-old Japanese has exuded the energy she showed in her 2018 breakthrough as world No. 44, while keeping calm throughout two tournament wins.
Jumping on a second serve return, Osaka banged a series of backhands cornering Collins in her backhand corner before nailing a forehand down the line breaking for 2-1.
The Collins two-hander is a damaging weapon she wielded to break right back.
Crackling rallies popped through the opening set.
By the ninth game, Osaka was creeping well inside the baseline to return the Collins second serve in a predatory posture reminiscent of former No. 1 Jennifer Capriati.
Rattling the Floridian's second serve, Osaka blasted a backhand return down the line for break point then flared a forehand winner down the line breaking with a firm "come on!" for 5-4.
The Osaka forehand was a major factor in closing the set. Punishing a series of diagonal forehands, Osaka stepped up and cranked a forehand down the line sealing the 48-minute opening set with a shout.
Swinging freely and forcefully, Osaka blazed through eight of nine points breaking in the third game and consolidating at 15.
Credit Collins for continuing to battle, but the American was struggling to sustain traction on second serve and some forehand exchanges. Osaka exploited three Collins' double faults roaring back from 40-love down to break for 4-1.
The 25th-seeded Collins saved a match point holding for 2-5.
Serving for the fourth round, Osaka pumped an ace down the middle to open, followed with a forehand winner than launched a dagger down the line off her back foot for triple match point.
A backhand bold concluded a commanding win: Osaka hit 29 winners against 21 unforced errors in a clean 82-minute victory.