Daria Kasatkina is the nation’s latest top-20 participant and can compete underneath the Australian flag for the primary time in Charleston this week.
Melbourne, Australia, 31 March 2025 | Dan Imhoff
Daria Kasatkina’s announcement of a profitable software to symbolize Australia has been warmly acquired with the nation’s new ladies’s No.1 to compete for the primary time underneath her new flag at this week’s Charleston Open.
In an enormous boon for Australian ladies’s tennis, the Russian-born world No.12 revealed in a social media submit on the weekend that she had been authorised for everlasting residency.
“I’m delighted to allow you to all know that my software for everlasting residency has been accepted by the Australian Authorities,” Kasatkina mentioned.
“Australia is a spot I really like, is extremely welcoming and a spot the place I really feel completely at dwelling. I really like being in Melbourne and look ahead to making my dwelling there. As a part of this, I’m proud to announce that I shall be representing my new homeland Australia, in my skilled tennis profession from this level onwards.”
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Whereas no stranger to Australian followers, having competed at Australian summer season occasions for the previous 9 years, there’s lots to get to know concerning the gifted 27-year-old.
Australia welcomes top-20 ladies’s participant
Not since Ash Barty retired as world No.1 in March 2022 has Australia had a top-20 ladies’s participant and Kasatkina’s rapid change has ended that two-year wait.
Solely Barty’s 15 WTA titles and Sam Stosur’s 9 are greater than Kasatkina’s tally of eight amongst gamers representing Australia within the 2000s.
Kasatkina’s career-high mark of world No.8 got here in October 2022, whereas she ended final season at world No.9 – her third year-end end inside the highest 10 – after she was referred to as up as a late substitute to play the final group stage match of the 2024 WTA Finals, which she misplaced to Iga Swiatek.
https://twitter.com/DKasatkina/standing/1905740057769902207
Kasatkina a participant for all surfaces
Kasatkina was one of many three gamers to achieve WTA finals on laborious court docket, clay and grass final 12 months, alongside Jasmine Paolini and Diana Shnaider.
She opened the season with a second successive Adelaide last in January earlier than Jelena Ostapenko halted her title tilt, whereas a month later, it was Elena Rybakina who denied her within the Abu Dhabi last additionally on laborious court docket.
After a runner-up exhibiting on clay in Charleston, it was not till the grass swing that she picked up her first silverware of the season towards Leylah Fernandez in Eastbourne.
Following one other hard-court last in Seoul, Kasatkina snared her eighth profession trophy and second of the season in Ningbo, China over good good friend Mirra Andreeva, which improved her report in title matches for the 12 months to 2-4.
Her 26 WTA 500 match wins final 12 months was essentially the most since Angelique Kerber’s 27 in 2015, whereas solely Aryna Sabalenka (seven) made extra finals in 2024.
Semifinal Kasatkina’s greatest Grand Slam end
Whereas adept on all surfaces, Kasatkina is a grasp of on-court artistry and clay has proved her most fruitful all through her Grand Slam profession.
In 2022, 4 years after she reached her first main quarterfinal there, she reached her maiden Slam semifinal at Roland Garros, the place she fell to eventual champion Swiatek.
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Upon reaching the final 4, she advised it wasn’t all all the way down to taking part in distinctive tennis.
“French fries make quite a lot of distinction, I need to say, and right here it’s one, in France,” she mentioned.
“However clearly, all collectively, if you happen to play good, you must deal with your self. Even in case you are not taking part in good it’s not unhealthy to deal with your self, since you are pushing and you are attempting. So it needs to be steadiness in every part, and it’s not simple to seek out it, however with years and expertise it’s coming collectively.”
Kasatkina reached the fourth spherical at Melbourne Park for the primary time this 12 months. Her greatest outing at Wimbledon was a quarterfinal in 2018, whereas at Flushing Meadows she has twice reached the fourth spherical (2017, 2023).
Kasatkina and her companion host standard vlog
The down-to-earth Kasatkina is a notable advocate towards conflict in Ukraine and for the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
At all times one to maintain it actual, her persona is aptly mirrored in her standard YouTube vlog, What The Vlog, which she began along with her girlfriend – Estonian-Russian retired Olympic determine skater Natalia Zabiiako – in an low season journey to the Maldives in November 2022.
The vlog has since advanced to seize the highs and lows of life as a tennis participant with a wholesome dose of humour and off-court authenticity, together with impromptu participant interviews and behind-the-scenes insights.
The vlog initially featured the likes of her closest pals on tour, together with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Australia’s Daria Saville, however has since grown to incorporate interviews with Coco Gauff and semi-regularly with Jelena Ostapenko.
“Within the humorous manner interacting … with the gamers, to know the gamers extra. Yeah, simply to indicate life on tour, how it’s,” Kasatkina mentioned. “Generally, sure, it’s luxurious [life on tour] … however many occasions it’s not. Additionally, there’s quite a lot of sacrifice, struggling, laborious work. In order that’s principally what we wish to present.”
