Osaka upsets fifth seed Pliskova to earn semi-final spot at Indian Wells

Rising star Naomi Osaka stormed into the semi-finals at the BNP Paribas Open after stunning number five seed Karolina Pliskova.

The 20-year-old Japanese wasted no time in racing to a straight sets victory at Indian Wells, winning the quarter-final 6-3 6-3 after an hour and 20 minutes.

Despite her opponent’s experience – and top five seeding – Osaka quickly built a 4-1 lead in the first set, winning 92% of points on her first serve.

Pliskova had just one chance to break in the opener, but it was quickly brushed aside by a backhand down the line from Osaka.

Having secured the advantage, the Japanese took an early break in set two following an eight-minute game.

And although the Czech player fought back to level the scoreline, Osaka found another gear to win four games in a row to end the match.

The youngster will now face world number one Simona Halep in the final four.

Halep’s quarter-final was not as straightforward, and the Romanian needed her fighting spirit to defeat Petra Martic.

The top seed battled through three closely matched sets amid windy conditions on court to win 6-4 6-7 (5/7) 6-3.

Halep needed just one break of serve – after capitalising on a double fault from Martic – to claim the first set, but seemed troubled by errors as the wind picked up during the second.

A wide backhand left her down a break after the first two games, and her opponent raced to a 5-2 lead.

She fought back to force the tiebreak, but more mistakes cost her dearly, and Martic levelled the game at one set apiece.

The final set saw a series of break points and gruelling games for both players, until Halep finally emerged victorious after two hours and 23 minutes.