New Aussie tennis Dasha salutes original Aussie Dasha
Once, there was just one Aussie tennis 'Dasha'…
Now there's two, and the new recruit Daria Kasatkina couldn't be happier that one of her oldest friends, Daria 'Dasha' Saville, is on hand to help her make a smooth transition into the hearts of Australian tennis.
All's going well so far with Russian-born Kasatkina's recent switch of allegiance to Australia with the 28-year-old into the third round of the French Open on Saturday, when she'll face world no.10 Paula Badosa in her first grand slam playing under her new flag.
She's yet to have the chance to go to her new adopted home country because of the demands of the international WTA circuit, but the one person who's been invaluable in helping her plans to settle in Melbourne is Saville, who's been part of the Australian tennis scene for a decade now.
As Daria Gavrilova, Saville was a friend of Kasatkina's from their junior days in Russia, and they've been buddies ever since, even playing together as a doubles team at the Australian Open.
"We've been friends for very, very long time and to have someone like that as a neighbour, as a teammate, it feels great, honestly," said Kasatkina.
"First of all, she's super happy for me, which was super nice. She's always asking 'when you moving?', sending me the locations, the houses and everything.
"So she's very excited to have a new neighbour, and I'm also very happy about that."
Saville came from Russia as a teenager and initially stayed with the family of an AFL journalist in Melbourne, falling in love with both the country and fellow player Luke Saville. The pair married in 2018.
She's still a tough competitor on the WTA circuit, having battled through qualifiers to get to the first round at Roland Garros.
Kasatkina believes that playing for Australia has given her a bit more pressure but a bit more motivation, but for the moment she's trying to put all that out of her mind and "focus on simple things - a tennis match."
And what a tennis match. For a third-round, the meeting between 17th seed Kasatkina and 10th seed Badosa on the Simonne-Mathieu 'garden' court is a high quality affair, with the pair having shared the spoils in their six matches.
"Paula's an amazing player. She showed a few very good results this year already," said Kasatkina of her US-born Spanish opponent, the former world No.2 who's already created waves this week by knocking out Naomi Osaka in the first round.
It was a spectacular comeback win for the injury-plagued 27-year-old, who came into the tournament admitting she had no expectations after playing just one full match in the previous two-and-a-half months.
"If Paula hadn't struggled with injuries as much as she has, I think she would be even higher now. It's a tough draw, of course, and we always played tough matches," added Kasatkina.
"I just remember the one we played last year at Wimbledon, very tough match also in the third round [which Badosa won]. Three sets then, so it's not going to be easy, and I have to prepare for the big battle for sure.'
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7NEWS
29 minutes ago
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Aussie title contender Daria Kasatkina makes emotional admission after French Open win
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an hour ago
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Minjee Lee makes move to stay in US Open title mix
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Stark's third-round 70 earned her a one-stroke buffer over young Spanish sensation Julia Lopez Ramiro, a former world amateur No.1 who fired a 68 to surge to six under. Chasing a second straight major after winning last month's Chevron Championship, Mao Saigo let a three-shot halfway lead slip with three consecutive bogeys on the fourth, fifth and sixth holes. The Japanese sensation steadied and looked set to take a least a share of the lead into the final round until dropping two shots over the last two holes. Saigo is tied for third with compatriots Rio Takeda (70) and Hinako Shibuno (72), with American world No.1 Nelly Korda (73) one shot further back in solo sixth. After starting the day level with Lee at two under, Green posted a Saturday 73 to drop to one under and a share of 13th, six shots behind Stark. Minjee Lee is close enough if good enough after making another move during the third round of the mega-money US Women's Open in Wisconsin. 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Saigo is tied for third with compatriots Rio Takeda (70) and Hinako Shibuno (72), with American world No.1 Nelly Korda (73) one shot further back in solo sixth. After starting the day level with Lee at two under, Green posted a Saturday 73 to drop to one under and a share of 13th, six shots behind Stark. Minjee Lee is close enough if good enough after making another move during the third round of the mega-money US Women's Open in Wisconsin. As fellow Australian Hannah Green fell off the pace, Lee carved out a one-under-par 71 at the ever-testing Erin Hills Golf Club to pull within four shots of Swedish leader Maja Stark. Lee was only two back on the back nine before a bogey on the par-4 15th left the dual major winner and 2022 Open champion in a tie for seventh at three under heading into Sunday's final round (Monday AEST). Stark's third-round 70 earned her a one-stroke buffer over young Spanish sensation Julia Lopez Ramiro, a former world amateur No.1 who fired a 68 to surge to six under. Chasing a second straight major after winning last month's Chevron Championship, Mao Saigo let a three-shot halfway lead slip with three consecutive bogeys on the fourth, fifth and sixth holes. The Japanese sensation steadied and looked set to take a least a share of the lead into the final round until dropping two shots over the last two holes. Saigo is tied for third with compatriots Rio Takeda (70) and Hinako Shibuno (72), with American world No.1 Nelly Korda (73) one shot further back in solo sixth. After starting the day level with Lee at two under, Green posted a Saturday 73 to drop to one under and a share of 13th, six shots behind Stark.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Sinner in the most devilish form at Roland Garros
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Lehecka is no mug, a 23-year-old Czech who reached the Australian Open quarter-finals a couple of years ago, who's been on the verge of the top 20 and is still a force to be respected on tour at No.34. None of which proved any defence against a supreme champion back on a mission on Saturday as Sinner gave Lehecka such a hiding that the only decent thing the crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen could do was to rise and roar when he finally won a game at the 12th time of asking. Lehecka acknowledged the sympathy with an ironic raised arm and fist pump. It didn't get any easier, as he eventually left the arena schooled and shell-shocked, marmalised 6-0 6-1 6-2 in just over an hour-and-a-half. That's now 17 grand slam match wins in a row for Sinner, looking as if the only thing his doping ban provided was a welcome bit of R and R for the 23-year-old. This was his most dominant win ever at a grand slam. "He played amazingly, the only dominator on court today, did everything right. I felt like I was playing against myself because he was a thousand times better in everything," sighed Lehecka. "I thought I wouldn't win any games." Sinner, who'll meet a doubtless fearful Andrey Rublev in the last-16 on Monday, said: "We try to improve. "Today, I don't think there are many things I can improve." No-one was arguing. He hit 31 winners, made just nine mistakes, earned seven breaks and saved the only break point he faced. Lehecka reckons only defending champ Carlos Alcaraz can beat him. Novak Djokovic will take some beating, though, after his latest 6-3 6-4 6-2 evening stroll against Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic set him up for a date with Cameron Norrie, who won an all-British clash with Jacob Fearnley 6-3 7-6 (7-1) 6-2. Djokovic had hoped he'd be spared the night match so he could watch the Champions League final, but his contest finished just as Paris Saint-Germain were completing their consummate 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan. It's fair to say the locals' interest really lay elsewhere as Paris just went firecracker crazy. The adventures of wonder boy Joao Fonseca were ended ruthlessly later on Lenglen by Britain's increasingly impressive Jack Draper, the US Open semi-finalist who tamed the 18-year-old Brazilian 6-2 6-4 6-2. Draper still saw enough of the kid to muse: "It's just only going to go up for him. It's going to be scary what he's going to be able to achieve, for sure." Alexander Bublik, the Kazakh maverick who sent Alex de Minaur home in a second-round sensation, continued his fun with a 7-5 6-1 6-2 dismissal of Portuguese qualifier Henrique Rocha and will meet Draper next. Bublik had everyone chuckling as he suggested the secret of his revival may have been that he had been working actually too hard to stay in the top 20 so he decided to go off on a tip to Las Vegas instead. Not a training trip, he explained, but "a three-day hangover thing". "I said, 'OK, let's go to Vegas'. We enjoy. We change the racquet. We did many things. I said, 'OK, if it goes, it goes. If not, thank you very much, tennis' - and it worked." Suggesting the tour was now populated by health and fitness-obsessed "robots", Bublik's clearly proud to be anything but. Poor old Jiri Lehecka won't forget the day he ran into the world No.1 Jannik Sinner at his most demonically ruthless - and still earned a standing ovation. Lehecka is no mug, a 23-year-old Czech who reached the Australian Open quarter-finals a couple of years ago, who's been on the verge of the top 20 and is still a force to be respected on tour at No.34. None of which proved any defence against a supreme champion back on a mission on Saturday as Sinner gave Lehecka such a hiding that the only decent thing the crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen could do was to rise and roar when he finally won a game at the 12th time of asking. Lehecka acknowledged the sympathy with an ironic raised arm and fist pump. It didn't get any easier, as he eventually left the arena schooled and shell-shocked, marmalised 6-0 6-1 6-2 in just over an hour-and-a-half. That's now 17 grand slam match wins in a row for Sinner, looking as if the only thing his doping ban provided was a welcome bit of R and R for the 23-year-old. This was his most dominant win ever at a grand slam. "He played amazingly, the only dominator on court today, did everything right. I felt like I was playing against myself because he was a thousand times better in everything," sighed Lehecka. "I thought I wouldn't win any games." Sinner, who'll meet a doubtless fearful Andrey Rublev in the last-16 on Monday, said: "We try to improve. "Today, I don't think there are many things I can improve." No-one was arguing. He hit 31 winners, made just nine mistakes, earned seven breaks and saved the only break point he faced. Lehecka reckons only defending champ Carlos Alcaraz can beat him. Novak Djokovic will take some beating, though, after his latest 6-3 6-4 6-2 evening stroll against Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic set him up for a date with Cameron Norrie, who won an all-British clash with Jacob Fearnley 6-3 7-6 (7-1) 6-2. Djokovic had hoped he'd be spared the night match so he could watch the Champions League final, but his contest finished just as Paris Saint-Germain were completing their consummate 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan. It's fair to say the locals' interest really lay elsewhere as Paris just went firecracker crazy. The adventures of wonder boy Joao Fonseca were ended ruthlessly later on Lenglen by Britain's increasingly impressive Jack Draper, the US Open semi-finalist who tamed the 18-year-old Brazilian 6-2 6-4 6-2. Draper still saw enough of the kid to muse: "It's just only going to go up for him. It's going to be scary what he's going to be able to achieve, for sure." Alexander Bublik, the Kazakh maverick who sent Alex de Minaur home in a second-round sensation, continued his fun with a 7-5 6-1 6-2 dismissal of Portuguese qualifier Henrique Rocha and will meet Draper next. Bublik had everyone chuckling as he suggested the secret of his revival may have been that he had been working actually too hard to stay in the top 20 so he decided to go off on a tip to Las Vegas instead. Not a training trip, he explained, but "a three-day hangover thing". "I said, 'OK, let's go to Vegas'. We enjoy. We change the racquet. We did many things. I said, 'OK, if it goes, it goes. If not, thank you very much, tennis' - and it worked." Suggesting the tour was now populated by health and fitness-obsessed "robots", Bublik's clearly proud to be anything but. Poor old Jiri Lehecka won't forget the day he ran into the world No.1 Jannik Sinner at his most demonically ruthless - and still earned a standing ovation. Lehecka is no mug, a 23-year-old Czech who reached the Australian Open quarter-finals a couple of years ago, who's been on the verge of the top 20 and is still a force to be respected on tour at No.34. None of which proved any defence against a supreme champion back on a mission on Saturday as Sinner gave Lehecka such a hiding that the only decent thing the crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen could do was to rise and roar when he finally won a game at the 12th time of asking. Lehecka acknowledged the sympathy with an ironic raised arm and fist pump. It didn't get any easier, as he eventually left the arena schooled and shell-shocked, marmalised 6-0 6-1 6-2 in just over an hour-and-a-half. That's now 17 grand slam match wins in a row for Sinner, looking as if the only thing his doping ban provided was a welcome bit of R and R for the 23-year-old. This was his most dominant win ever at a grand slam. "He played amazingly, the only dominator on court today, did everything right. I felt like I was playing against myself because he was a thousand times better in everything," sighed Lehecka. "I thought I wouldn't win any games." Sinner, who'll meet a doubtless fearful Andrey Rublev in the last-16 on Monday, said: "We try to improve. "Today, I don't think there are many things I can improve." No-one was arguing. He hit 31 winners, made just nine mistakes, earned seven breaks and saved the only break point he faced. Lehecka reckons only defending champ Carlos Alcaraz can beat him. Novak Djokovic will take some beating, though, after his latest 6-3 6-4 6-2 evening stroll against Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic set him up for a date with Cameron Norrie, who won an all-British clash with Jacob Fearnley 6-3 7-6 (7-1) 6-2. Djokovic had hoped he'd be spared the night match so he could watch the Champions League final, but his contest finished just as Paris Saint-Germain were completing their consummate 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan. It's fair to say the locals' interest really lay elsewhere as Paris just went firecracker crazy. The adventures of wonder boy Joao Fonseca were ended ruthlessly later on Lenglen by Britain's increasingly impressive Jack Draper, the US Open semi-finalist who tamed the 18-year-old Brazilian 6-2 6-4 6-2. Draper still saw enough of the kid to muse: "It's just only going to go up for him. It's going to be scary what he's going to be able to achieve, for sure." Alexander Bublik, the Kazakh maverick who sent Alex de Minaur home in a second-round sensation, continued his fun with a 7-5 6-1 6-2 dismissal of Portuguese qualifier Henrique Rocha and will meet Draper next. Bublik had everyone chuckling as he suggested the secret of his revival may have been that he had been working actually too hard to stay in the top 20 so he decided to go off on a tip to Las Vegas instead. Not a training trip, he explained, but "a three-day hangover thing". "I said, 'OK, let's go to Vegas'. We enjoy. We change the racquet. We did many things. I said, 'OK, if it goes, it goes. If not, thank you very much, tennis' - and it worked." Suggesting the tour was now populated by health and fitness-obsessed "robots", Bublik's clearly proud to be anything but.
