The first time I gave Darya Kasatkina, a now-18 year old from Russia, a chance to be a real riser on the WTA Tour was on a 2015 tour stop in Bad Gastein. On the high altitude clay courts of Austria, Darya went through qualifying and even won a couple main draw matches. This included a thumping of Aleksandra Krunic, giving up only four games in the process, and a shocking three set win over Julia Goerges. And when Kasatkina went on to take a set in that quarterfinal match against former French Open Finalist Sara Errani, I knew that this young lady had the chance to be something special on the WTA Tour.
And my initial suspicions regarding Kasatkina held true in the US Open last year, where, despite coming into the tournament as a lucky loser, Kasatkina still beat another riser on tour, Daria Gavrilova in three tight sets. The fact that Kasatkina held her nerve in that third set to win 7-5 shows a lot about her mental strength and her burning desire to win. And the fact that she was able to come back in her next match and win a straight setter over another young player, Ana Konjuh, is a demonstration of who Darya is as a player.
The WTA Premier event in Moscow was, perhaps, where Kasatkina trulu proved she was no fluke. Darya, again, went through qualifying and made the Semifinals of the tournament. She had two notable wins in this tournament, a tough three-setter against Irina-Camelia Begu and a thrashing of Carla Suarez Navarro in which she lost only three games. And while Kasatkina's run ended in a tight three setter against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
So, let's look at this season. Kasatkina is 2-2 on the year, but it is one of his wins which stands out the most. In Auckland, in Darya's first match of 2016, Kasatkina beat Venus Williams 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 for one of the biggest wins of her career. Even after playing a physical first set, the toughness shown by Kasatkina in her matches against Gavrilova and Begu were once again seen in Darya's game. Not only did she take control of the match, but she never gave it up. And while her retirement in the next tournament in Sydney was disturbing (although possibly indicative of why she lost in the next round to Hibino), I think that Darya could be a nightmare matchup if she is healthy in Melbourne.
Speaking of Melbourne, let's look into our crystal ball for Darya at the Australian Open. In the First Round, Kasatkina plays Anna Karolina Schmeidlova. 2015 was a breakout year for Schmeidlova, however, the beginning of 2016 has not treated her as well. She is a mediocre 1-2, winning a combined four game in her two losses (including a 6-1, 6-0 loss in her last match to Monica Puig). Momentum is certainly not on Schmeidlova's side, that's for sure. Therefore, I think that Kasatkina will win this match in three sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.
From there, I predict we will see Kasatkina take on Konjuh, in a rematch of Darya's straight-forward win in New York City at the US Open. I expect the same result to occur here, with Darya winning in straights. The run will end there, however, with Serena Williams looming in her section.
And while Kasatkina will lose in straight sets to Serena, her run in Melbourne will prove that Kasatkina will be a force for years to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment