A guide to relay action in Yokohama, including some ones to watch, race schedule and TV info

The fourth edition of the IAAF World Relays, being staged away from The Bahamas for the first time, is set to be the largest ever with 790 athletes from 47 teams entered, writes Paul Halford.

The presence of several big names such as Noah Lyles, Andre De Grasse and Elaine Thompson suggests many nations are treating this event as an important stepping stone towards the World Championships in Doha.

Here we highlight some ones to watch. For our full preview, see the May 9 edition of AW magazine.

Timetable

UK time (local time in brackets)

Saturday May 11

10:38 (18:38) – Mixed shuttle hurdles heats
11:05 (19:05) – Women’s 4x400m heats
11:40 (19:40) – Men’s 4x400m heats
12:13 (20:13) – Women’s 4x100m heats
12:40 (20:40) – Mixed 2x2x400m final
13:00 (21:00) – Men’s 4x100m heats
13:22 (21:22) – Mixed 4x400m heats
13:55 (21:55) – Mixed shuttle hurdles final

Sunday May 12

10:10 (18:10) – Women’s 4x200m heats
10:31 (18:31) – Men’s 4x200m heats
10:52 (18:52) – Women’s 4x400m B final
11:05 (19:05) – Men’s 4x400m B final
11:21 (19:21) – Women’s 4x400m final
11:37 (19:37) – Men’s 4x400m final
11:53 (19:53) – Mixed 4x400m final
12:09 (20:09) – Women’s 4x200m final
12:23 (20:23) – Men’s 4x200m final
12:37 (20:37) – Women’s 4x100m final
12:52 (20:52) – Men’s 4x100m final

Ones to watch

Men’s 4x100m

World champions Britain take on Rio 2016 winners Jamaica and the other big contenders, the USA.

In CJ Ujah, Adam Gemili and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, Britain have three of the quartet that won global gold in 2017 and that topped the world rankings last year.

The USA team includes Diamond League champion Noah Lyles and Mike Rodgers and the Jamaica squad features Yohan Blake.

Japan’s well-drilled foursome should also challenge. Canada has Olympic 200m silver medallist Andre De Grasse.

Women’s 4x200m

With double Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and current double Rio 2016 champion Elaine Thompson, Jamaica will be defending their title, challenged by Germany and the USA, who were second and third last time out.

Women’s 4x400m

The USA will start as the strong favourites, headed by 49.52 runner Shakima Wimbley.

In the shape of Zoey Clark, Emily Diamond and Laviai Nielsen, Britain’s squad includes three of their 2017 world silver medallists. Their team-mate Eilidh Doyle is out through injury and replaced by Perri Shakes-Drayton, who ran in the London 2017 heats.

European champions Poland and Jamaica ought to be strong too.

Shuttle hurdles

Just seven teams go in this new four-leg mixed event, run in a woman-man-woman-man formation.

The USA are favourites, featuring Devon Allen, with Queen Harrison, Sharika Nelvis and Christina Manning to choose from among the women.

European champion Pascal Martinot-Lagarde goes for France.

Full entry info can be found here.

GB team for Yokohama

Men

4x100m: Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Adam Gemili, Sam Gordon, Richard Kilty, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, CJ Ujah
4x400m: Cameron Chalmers, Dwayne Cowan, Alex Haydock-Wilson, Martyn Rooney, Jamal Rhoden-Stevens, Lee Thompson, Rabah Yousif

Women

4x100m: Kristal Awuah, Desiree Henry, Daryll Neita, Ashleigh Nelson, Asha Philip, Bianca Williams
4x400m: Finette Agyapong, Amy Allcock, Zoey Clark, Emily Diamond, Laviai Nielsen, Anyika Onuora, Perri Shakes-Drayton

Mixed

4x400m: Cameron Chalmers, Zoe Clark, Laviai Nielsen, Martyn Rooney,Perri Shakes-Drayton, Rabah Yousif

GB will not field teams in the 4x200m, shuttle hurdles or 2x2x400m relays.

Final practice here in Yokohama ahead of the #WorldRelays2019! This is the first time we’ve practiced as a mixed 4x400m and it was very interesting to say the least ? they’re fast!

Can’t wait for the competition to start! pic.twitter.com/jPUrYBqNDB

— laviai nielsen (@Laviai) May 9, 2019

TV guide

Fans in the UK can watch the action live on the BBC red button and online on May 11 (10:30 to 14:00) and May 12 (10:00 to 13:00) with highlights on BBC Two on May 12 (17:00-18:00).

A list of other broadcasters for coverage around the world can be found here.

The popular cross-country international will not be staged from 2020

The Great Stirling XCountry and Great Stirling Run events have come to an end, with organisers confirming that the popular cross-country international and separate road running festival will not be staged from 2020.

First staged in the North East of England in 1988 before moving to Scotland in 2005, the Great XCountry (formerly the Great North Cross Country) has a rich history of elite competition and has seen athletes such as Paula Radcliffe, Liz McColgan and Haile Gebrselassie take part. In recent years the crowds have been treated to performances from Mo Farah as well Scottish athletes Laura Muir and Callum Hawkins.

This year the televised international event, which took place alongside a mass participation run and the Scottish Inter District Cross Country Championships, moved to Stirling after 14 years in Edinburgh.

Meanwhile the marathon, which formed part of the Great Stirling Run and has also featured a half-marathon in the past two years, was first staged in 2017.

“We’ve taken the difficult decision not to stage the Great Stirling XCountry or the Great Stirling Run from 2020,” said a spokesperson for organisers The Great Run Company.

“For the last 10 years we have been staging world class cross country competition in Scotland through the Great XCountry.

“Unfortunately, the costs of staging this event are increasing at the same time as commercial revenue is declining and the reality is, the event is no longer economically viable for us to stage.

“When the Great Stirling Run was conceived three years ago it was our ambition to build a world class marathon in Stirling. We’ve invested in the event over that time, but sadly we haven’t been able to deliver that ambition and the event in its current format is unsustainable.

“We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Stirling Council for their excellent support and of course to everyone who has taken part in the event.”

European champion will continue her World Championships preparations at the Alexander Stadium in August

Laura Muir has today been confirmed as the first star name to compete at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham on Sunday August 18.

Taking place at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium, Muir will return to a city she knows so well to compete in a soon-to-be-decided distance, with the popular Scot hoping for another impressive outing in front of a British crowd.

In the city in which she has won two world indoor medals, a number of British titles and has also broken two British records over 1000m and 1 mile (both indoors), Muir’s presence on the bill for August 18 is the first of many star-name confirmations as the countdown to the event continues with 100 days to go.

Currently training at altitude in St Moritz, Switzerland, ahead of another huge year, Muir is expected to face another tough field of endurance stars in her discipline come August in something of a dress rehearsal ahead of going for global glory at the IAAF World Championships in Doha come October.

“It’s really exciting to be coming back to Birmingham – there is a lot of history for me in the city now and the Alexander Stadium crowd always seem to bring the best out of me,” said Muir, the defending Diamond League 1500m champion.

“With Doha being in September this marks the beginning of the final run into World Championships, so this year Birmingham is playing an even bigger role in my preparations.

“With so many athletes trying to peak for Doha this could mean some of the best athletes and best performances in Birmingham in recent years.

“Personally, for me nothing beats running in front of a home crowd, so I’m looking forward to more great support in Birmingham this August.”

The Müller Grand Prix Birmingham is one of the top outdoor athletics events in the world and forms part of the prestigious IAAF Diamond League series. Taking place just six weeks before the IAAF World Championships in Doha, the meet will see many of the world’s best athletes go head-to-head in the UK’s second city.

Tickets for the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham are on sale here.

Wales coach Warren Gatland has agreed a deal to take charge of the British and Irish Lions on their tour of South Africa in 2021.

Although no contract has been signed, terms have been agreed by both parties for the New Zealander to lead the Lions for a third time.

Gatland has already overseen a winning tour of Australia in 2013 and a drawn series against the All Blacks four years later.

The Lions have yet to comment.

Gatland was also part of Sir Ian McGeechan's Lions coaching party in South Africa in 2009.

The New Zealander has said he will step down as Wales coach after the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Wales won the Six Nations in March, extending their record-breaking run of winning matches to 14.

Since taking over with Wales in December 2007, Gatland has led his team to three Grand Slams and become the longest-serving coach in their history.

More to follow.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Texas Motor Speedway has inked a deal with short-term lender Speedy Cash to become the entitlement sponsor of the SpeedyCash.com 400 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race on June 7.

The official announcement was made Thursday at the Speedy Cash location on North Main Street between 28th and 29th Streets in downtown Fort Worth, Texas.

The SpeedyCash.com 400 will run in conjunction with the June 8 DXC Technology 600, the annual stop for the NTT IndyCar Series at the high-speed 1.5-mile facility.

“Texas Motor Speedway is proud to partner with Speedy Cash to bring the SpeedyCash.com 400 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race to our loyal fan base,” said Jason Wonderly, Vice President of Sales for Texas Motor Speedway. “We’re equally proud of Speedy Cash for kicking off this relationship with a phenomenal opportunity for race fans to participate in an incredible promotion with the opportunity for one lucky fan to leave the track $400,000 happier.”

As a kickoff to the partnership, one lucky race fan on June 7 could leave the track $400,000 richer than when they arrived. Each of the 12 Dallas/Fort Worth-area Speedy Cash locations will hold an enter-to-win drawing for race tickets as well as a chance to play for the $400,000 grand prize.

“We are thrilled that our Speedy Cash brand and team has joined with Texas Motor Speedway and the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, to sponsor the SpeedyCash.com 400 in Dallas,” said Bill Baker, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of CURO. “As the official sponsor of the SpeedyCash.com 400, we are excited to interact with our customers and Speedy Cash teammates in this exciting and fun event. This is yet another way Speedy Cash can engage with our community, live our vision, and what better way to highlight the speed at which we provide solutions than to partner with Texas Motor Speedway and NASCAR.”

Australian XI 5 for 248 (Smith 91*, Maxwell 70) beat New Zealand XI 9 for 286 (Young 111, Worker 59, Cummins 4-32) by five wickets (DLS method)

Steven Smith boarded the flight to the World Cup with questions over his form significantly eased as he struck an unbeaten 91 at Allan Border Field to help secure a five-wicket victory although there was momentary scare around his recovering right elbow.

On 63, Smith went to run his bat in as he completed a single - which wasn't as tight as he thought - and the bat jarred in the crease. He dropped the bat and immediately started flexing the elbow on which he had undergone surgery in January and which has been a focal point over the last few months. At the drinks break he was seen by the physio but by the end of the chase had appeared to shake off any pain.

If there was just short-term discomfort and no long-term problem, Smith's week in Brisbane will be given a significant tick with this innings following his unbeaten 89 in the second match. He was on track for a century but, with the over-rate slower than previous games, the light faded too much and when a Smith straight drive hammered into Jimmy Neesham, the umpires decided it was too dark.

It was a testing chase for the Australians when they slipped to 4 for 137 with David Warner having fallen for 2, caught behind much to his frustration, to follow the duck he scored in the second match.

However, Glenn Maxwell provided the impetus needed with a 37-ball half-century full of power and invention, bringing out a reverse pull for six shortly after passing fifty. For all the focus on Smith and Warner, so much about Australia's batting order at the World Cup rests on Maxwell.

The other dominant innings of the day came from the player of the week Will Young with his second hundred in three days. It took his tally for the three matches to 301 to highlight how unlucky he is not to have already been capped by New Zealand. That will now have to wait until the end of the year as he faces shoulder surgery on his return home.

As in the successful run chase two days ago, it was a stand with George Worker which laid the platform as the pair added 82 for the second wicket. Worker completed his second half-century of the week before top-edging Adam Zampa to short third man, the legspinner also trapped captain Tom Latham lbw.

Young and Neesham then upped the tempo in a stand of 67 during which Young reached a hundred filled with high-class strokeplay that continued to mark him out as an international cricketer in waiting.

When both set batsmen fell - Young yorked by Marcus Stoinis and Neesham finding mid-off against Mitchell Starc - the innings slipped with Pat Cummins taking his haul to four wickets to reinforce his standing as the in-form bowler in Australia's attack. Although Zampa claimed two wickets he was taken for more than eight over, being particularly harshly treated by Neesham, while Stoinis' brace also came at significant cost.

Starc increased his workload after just five overs in the second match - his first outing for three months - with eight overs across three spells.

Australia still have a "lot of questions to answer" before their opening World Cup match according to captain Aaron Finch, but being able to call on the experience of six previous winners in their 15-man squad could be a key factor as they attempt to defend their title and claim the tournament for the sixth time.

The squad completed their Brisbane camp with the third match against a New Zealand XI on Friday, Steven Smith hitting an unbeaten 91 and Glenn Maxwell a flamboyant 70, before heading straight to the airport to fly to Turkey for a visit to Gallipoli, a trip that Steve Waugh's 2001 Ashes side undertook. From there they reach London in the middle of next week ahead of their final warm-up period before opening their campaign on June 1 against Afghanistan in Bristol.

ALSO READ: Langer 'slept better' after Smith's show of form

Finch, one of the six players who were part of the 2015 triumph on home soil, along with Smith, Maxwell, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, said a World Cup is a "different" experience from the bilateral series that form most of a players' career.

"I think it's a big advantage, just to know what it takes to win a World Cup and what it takes to manage your way through a campaign which can be difficult," Finch said. "You have to be at your best at the business end but you can't afford to let anything slip at the start. Six guys who have been there and done that will give a lot of experience to the others of what to expect, what to feel walking out there because it is different.

"When you talk so much about it, when it finally happens it's a relief to be looking forward. The fact everyone is together and getting on great, the boys are pumped to ramp up the preparations. It really is the time of your life a World Cup so that will be awesome."

Australia are not favourites for the tournament but are in much better shape than they were just a few months ago having strung together eight wins in a row against India and Pakistan. However, the final build-up, dominated by the return of Smith and Warner, has filled in all the blanks with the batting order still up the air and bowling combinations to be firmed.

They used three different opening partnerships in the three matches in Brisbane as well as other tweaks to the order. It remains likely that Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh are playing off for one position.

"I think it's just about giving everyone an opportunity at the top of the order to get some game time as much as anything," Finch said. "I think it's a good opportunity to mix and match and with the three games in the UK we might keep everyone guessing a bit, but the honest answer is, no, we don't have a definitive answer on what that will look like at the moment. There are a lot of questions still to be answer but we are in a great place to do that."

ALSO READ: How busy are Australia's cricketers?

Finch was the only one to score a half-century opening the innings in the three matches with Warner not quite able to continue his serene progress from the IPL. Smith produced the two most significant innings of the week with his brace of unbeaten knocks.

"His [Smith] timing and class was back again," Finch said. "It was like he hadn't left. His drives down the ground on a really difficult wicket to time off the front foot was so impressive, just the amount of time he spent in the middle and how he went through the gears was very impressive."

Smith was also active in offering advice to the captains, Finch in the first two matches and Alex Carey the last one, with the team happy to lean on the experience of their former captain and Warner.

"They are two of the best players in the world which is valuable to have at your disposal," Finch said. "The boys have been brilliant, all the work off the field with the team has been great. It's an interesting time, no doubt, when they are coming back in but still a great opportunity for everyone to learn off them as well. They have so much experience and what they bring to the group is really valuable."

PORTLAND, Ore. -- It was about four minutes into the third quarter of Game 6 of their Western Conference semifinals, and Damian Lillard peeled off a high screen, sizing up Nikola Jokic in front of him. He had Jokic leaning, and Lillard saw his opportunity. One hard dribble, stop, pop and fire.

Except Jokic saw it coming. Lillard was caught in the air and had to throw it to no one in particular. Gary Harris picked it off and Lillard balled up his fists, swinging them in the air in frustration. It wasn't just a turnover; it was a missed opportunity at a moment.

Twenty seconds earlier Lillard had hit a 3-pointer -- officially listed at 27 feet -- that came right after hitting a 19-foot stepback. There was a low growl in the arena as everyone could sense something finally unlocking for Lillard. It's not that he'd been bottled up in the series, but the signature haymakers weren't there. It's rare for Lillard to score quietly, but his 26.2 points per game on 42.9 percent shooting through the series' first five games weren't registering any decibels.

The Trail Blazers are more than just what Lillard makes them, but he is their heartbeat. There's an obvious fear on the other side when he turns on the oven and gets out the ingredients to cook. A Lillard 3 is worth the same as anyone else's, but not in the abstract. It has an intangible value.

So when he hit the eject button to rise up on a dime to launch in front of Jokic, it's not subtle what Lillard is trying to do. He's hunting a timeout. He wants to make the opposing coach call one.

"Because I know how it feels being on the other side, the visiting team, when the crowd is going crazy and you've got to call a timeout," he said. "You've got to regroup and go in the huddle and have these conversations.

"I guess that is true," he said, thinking it over. "I look for those moments."

After he shook off the turnover, he was back to hunting. Two minutes later he turned the corner and got downhill to the rim for a layup. The Nuggets didn't answer and he followed it with a midrange jumper. Four-point lead. Jokic scored five straight on his own to give Denver a lead, but Lillard responded with a 3 to put Portland back up two. Two free throws from Lillard, but a Paul Millsap layup in return. So it was time to get serious about it. Time to step out to near Logoland. Splash. Five-point lead, momentum building, a Zach Collins block and Jokic foul, and Lillard got what he wanted. Timeout, Denver.

"You're not going to kill 'em in the third quarter, you're not going to kill 'em with eight, nine minutes left in the fourth quarter," Lillard said, "but you can get that crowd going."

Lillard's logo shot is a nuclear weapon few possess in the NBA, but one the Nuggets have largely eliminated. Against the Thunder, he went 5-of-5 on shots from 30-plus feet. Prior to Game 6, he was 2-of-6 in against Denver, and if he took one, it was because he was trying to, not because it was there. In Game 6, he was 2-of-2 from 30-plus (not counting his heave at the end of the third quarter from 72 feet that was on line and hit the front of the rim). Against the Thunder, Lillard averaged 5.2 3-pointers a game; against Denver, he hadn't hit more than four in a game. Game 6, he hit six 3s.

"It was definitely a combination of him understanding what time it is," Malone said in a Freudian-ish slip, "and us not being as engaged defensively as we need to be."

By the end of the third quarter, the tide had basically turned. Lillard scored 17 of his 32 in the third, featuring three ruthless 3s. The Blazers had control and Lillard felt to be the perpetual, unrelenting threat he was for five games against the Thunder. The fourth quarter was about finishing, and with Rodney Hood's continued resurrection, CJ McCollum's slithering midrange daggers, only four points were needed from Lillard to close a 119-108 win, forcing Game 7 on Sunday.

"Don't overthink, don't make it some big, crazy deal or nothing like that," Lillard said of Game 7. "We're going to play a basketball game. And it's a big game, and we've won on their floor before, and we know what type of mentality we had when we did that."

McCollum summarized it to the simplest, most understandable form.

"Somebody's got to go to Cabo or Cancun as Chuck would say," he said.

For as much as what fuels the Lillard mythology -- the big shots, the clutch moments, the catchphrase, the wrist-tapping -- Dame Time has never been in a Game 7. There's a Lillard lore building in real-time this postseason and it feels like Game 7 could be another chapter. The Nuggets have prioritized Lillard to an extreme degree in the series, forcing the ball out of his hands. But with their season on the line, one would expect nothing less than Lillard would take matters into them. And the same goes for Game 7.

"Damian knows this is win-or-go-home, you know what kind of mindset a great player is going to come out with," Malone said. "Coupled with us maybe not being as physical and into him, our bigs not being up at the level as often so he's able to come off and make six 3s. We've done a really good job of taking away the 3-point from him for most of the series and tonight he got off."

It would seem there was possibly some kind of adjustment, some tactical chess move that opened an inch more of room for Lillard to break free that could carry over to Sunday, and while maybe some of the Blazers screens were set higher and Terry Stotts instinctively rolled with a smaller lineup to space the floor, it's not always that complicated.

"Some of it was he just really made good plays as well," Stotts said with a shrug.

Said McCollum: "As we always say it's a make or miss league. Tonight he made 'em. A game on the line, a series on the line, that's when great players rise to the occasion. He understood what was at stake."

The Blazers have been pushed to the limits this season, their resolve tested at different stages, to different degrees. A Game 7 on the road is almost a fitting final exam to see if they can go further than they have in the Lillard era. Lillard is the kind of player that seems built for it, his steely leadership setting a focused, calm tone for the team. It will be tense, it will be challenging. It will be about daggers, about shifting waves of momentum, about details, about moments.

And Lillard is always looking for one of those.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets are heading toward a Game 7 showdown after things got heated between the teams late in Thursday night's contest.

A scuffle broke out midway through the fourth quarter of Portland's 119-108 victory, during which Blazers guard Seth Curry and Denver forward Will Barton shoved each other. As the two were being separated, Barton appeared to poke Curry in the eye. Denver's Torrey Craig and Portland's Zach Collins also got into it as the skirmish escalated.

Officials handed out offsetting technical fouls for all four players.

Afterward, Curry took exception to the Nuggets' actions, Barton's in particular.

"He waited for a few people to get in between us, and when a few people were in between us, he put his finger in my eye," Curry said of Barton. "You know what I'm saying. I can't allow people to put their fingers in my eye.

"That's real sassy. They got a few sassy dudes over there. Front-runners. And we can't allow that."

The incident occurred after Nuggets center Nikola Jokic drove to the rim and was called for an offensive foul, causing Collins to fall backward toward Barton's legs. Curry came over to help Collins up and nudged Barton away. Barton pushed back, and the skirmish ensued.

Curry said he was surprised that Barton did not get ejected. Barton said he does not believe he will be suspended for Game 7 and explained that he was simply protecting himself from getting hurt after Collins fell toward him.

"It ain't no beef," Barton said. "I wasn't even looking for that. I was just trying to protect myself. I guess he thought I was trying to stand on top of him and be tough. I was just trying to get out of the way before I got injured. He pushed me. I'm not going to let nobody push me. But that's nothing."

Craig got in the middle of Barton and Curry, and Collins shoved Craig. Portland's Evan Turner then came over and held Craig at a distance. Officials took their time to examine the play before handing out the offsetting technicals with 6:16 remaining and Portland already up 104-90.

"I ain't worried about no fines," Barton said. "I ain't trippin off that. Hopefully, [there's] no suspension off that. I think if I [did something to get] suspended, I would probably have gotten ejected."

"It's competitive playoff basketball," Barton added. "Some things are going to happen. If we are all out there just being friendly, it ain't going to look like nobody trying to win."

It's been a roller coaster second-round series between two competitive teams, and it seems only natural that tensions finally flared.

Damian Lillard hit six 3-pointers and scored 32 points, and CJ McCollum added 30 points for the Trail Blazers. Rodney Hood provided a difference-making 25 points to keep Portland's season alive.

"We don't quit," Portland's Enes Kanter said. "I mean that's one thing, we don't quit. I mean we lost Game 5 by, what, [26] points? We know we are capable of winning there, we can beat that team."

The Blazers won Game 2 in Denver 97-90. But the Nuggets will be playing a second consecutive Game 7 in this postseason at home, where they were a league-best 34-7 in the regular season. The Nuggets, though, know they cannot rely simply on the fact that they won Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs at home, 90-86.

"It's weird, everyone keeps talking about experience," Denver guard Jamal Murray said of many of the young Nuggets playing in their first postseason. "I just want to say that we've been here before. We'll go back home, regroup like we did for San Antonio, come back with energy and just be ready to play."

Denver coach Michael Malone said he is hoping both teams will be at full strength, with nothing further coming out of the Game 6 skirmish.

"I know for us -- I didn't see their bench -- but our bench never came close to coming on the floor," Malone said. "The referees and coaches from both teams did a great job of breaking it up.

"I didn't see anything that would warrant any further techs, suspensions, whatever. Hopefully, both teams are at full strength for Game 7, which is what the fans deserve."

Naomi Osaka says thinking about retaining her number one world ranking hindered her in her Madrid Open quarter-final loss to Belinda Bencic.

Osaka led by a break in the final set and served for the match, but Bencic fought back to win 3-6 6-2 7-5.

Romania's Simona Halep could replace Osaka at the top of the rankings if she wins the title in Madrid.

"People have been telling me if I get to the semis I can stay number one, so I wanted to do that," Osaka said.

"I wanted to do that and I was thinking about that while I was playing, which wasn't necessarily a good thing."

Osaka secured the number one ranking when she won her second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.

"I play the best when I'm calm and today I wasn't calm, so that is the biggest thing I can learn," she said.

Bencic, who ended Osaka's Indian Wells title defence in March, produced some fine returns to come through a tight final set.

Top seed Osaka broke in the fifth game of the deciding set and held off two break points in her next service game to retain her advantage.

However, she faltered as she served for the match at 5-4 and Bencic broke to love to level the set at 5-5.

The Swiss, who won the Dubai Championships in February, then won the next two games to close out an impressive win.

The 21-year-old said she had "so much drama in my head" during the three-set defeat.

"I wanted to win this match more because she beat me already before and I just didn't want to lose twice in a row," Osaka added.

French Open champion Halep earlier beat Australian ninth seed Ashleigh Barty 7-5 7-5 to set up a meeting with Bencic.

America's Sloane Stephens, who lost to Halep at Roland Garros last year, overcame Croatia's Petra Martic 6-4 6-3.

Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands ended Petra Kvitova's title defence in a rematch of last year's final.

Bertens overpowered the Czech 6-2 6-3 and will play Stephens next.