Daria Kasatkina’s confidence couldn’t be any higher right now. The 20-year-old whipped past Angelique Kerber in 58 minutes to reach the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open, 6-0, 6-2.

It marks Kasatkina’s fourth straight-set win this tournament, her fourth Top 10 win of the season and her first Premier Mandatory semifinal appearance. She needed just 22 minutes to wrap up the first set, and handled Kerber’s expected improvement in the second set with a mental steadiness far beyond her years.

"I'm just going on court and actually now enjoying every minute during I'm playing," Kasatkina said earlier this week. "I'm playing best matches against the best players. But as I say, if you want to be on the top, you have to beat the top players. So quite simple rule."

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She’s following her rule quite well. The Russian has beaten all four reigning Grand Slam champions in the past year (including Sloane Stephens and Caroline Wozniacki in Indian Wells) and now has this victory over two-time major winner Kerber to add to her collection.

Kasatkina's game style is a masterful mix of power and art—she’s equally capable of stepping in to rip a forehand winner as she is of hitting a crafty slice or delicate drop shot. The world No. 19 is in the midst of an extremely hot streak right now, which she calls a wave. She reached the semifinals in St. Petersburg and final in Dubai ahead of her tear at the BNP Paribas Open.

Kerber should still take pride in her return to form in recent weeks. She was in excellent shape going into this quarterfinal with a 6-1, 6-1 blowout of Caroline Garcia on Thursday as proof of her capabilities. It’s also proof of just how good Kasatkina is. Her performance was so flawless she even hit an ace to close out the first set, and another to seal the match.

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