The inaugural meeting of twentieth seed Daria Kasatkina and unseeded Naomi Osaka at the BNP Paribas Open is too close to call on many levels. Kasatkina captured her first title in 2017 in Charleston and has the experience advantage of playing the recent 2018 Dubai final against Elina Svitolina. Osaka has not lived the pressure of a final since 2016 at home in Tokyo.
If Osaka wins the Indian Wells final, her career prize money will nearly double and she will capture her first WTA title. In contrast, Kasatkina will break into the Top 10 for the first time by lifting the Baccarat crystal trophy.