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Independent Singapore
3 days ago
- General
- Independent Singapore
Russian-born Daria Kasatkina has a special message for Australian supporters after French Open exit
FRANCE: Russian-born Daria Kasatkina's run at the French Open ended after her loss against Mirra Andreeva, with a final scoreline of 6-3, 7-5. However, the athlete admitted that she felt the deep support of Australian fans during her first Grand Slam event under the country's flag. The athlete recently received her Australian permanent residency and changed her allegiance to play under Australia. She had hoped to be the first Australian woman to reach the French Open quarterfinals since Ash Barty in 2019. Despite exiting the tournament, the 28-year-old declared that she was proud to be the 'last Aussie standing.' Filled with so much support, Kasatkina expressed: 'It's been a good start… First of all, it's been a good result, but also, I felt super good to step on the court as an Australian player.' She added: 'To feel the support from the stands so many times. I don't know if everyone who was screaming, 'Aussie,' were from Australia, but I felt this support. Also, on social media, I'm getting a lot of support from the Australians that they are so happy to welcome me, and they're happy for me.' 'So this is the kind of support which I honestly didn't have before, it feels like it's something new to me—but it feels so nice.' Highlights of the match At the beginning of the match, Kasatkina had rallied with her opponent using her impressive defence and powerful shots. By the second set, Kasatkina looked like she was out of the match. However, she showed her resilience and chased down tough shots. She also won a 26-shot rally. Moreover, she had the opportunity to take the set with a set point at 5-4, but Andreeva saved it with a strong forehand. From there, Andreeva took control of the match. Andreeva broke serve and won the match on her second match point, when Kasatkina hit a forehand out. With Andreeva's win, she has reached the quarterfinals without losing a set. She became the youngest woman in this century to make it to the last eight in two consecutive years–the last was Martina Hingis in 1998. See also Jack Draper beats Holger Rune to win the Indian Wells title Kasatkina remarked, 'Well, she [Andreeva] grew so much. I feel like she's taller and taller every single week, her serve's improving all the time, and her movement is very good.' In a social media post, Roland-Garros shared: 'It's happiness and relief for Andreeva after an intense battle today 💪.' Netizens commented on the said post and remarked: '🔥 little princess of the WTA,' 'Mirra my new favourite 🙌 let's go,' 'Future world No 1,' and 'Go Mirraaaaa!!!!! ✌🎾💕✌.'
ABC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Daria Kasatkina pays tribute to Australian fans after bowing out of French Open
A proud Daria Kasatkina has declared the embrace shen has felt from Australia during her first grand slam under its flag at the French Open was like nothing she had ever known before in her tennis career. Kasatkina finally bowed out at Roland Garros on Monday, beaten by the 18-year-old phenom and her fellow Russian-born friend Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 after what the victorious teenager rightly called a "hell of a match" in the fourth round at Roland Garros. Two months since being granted permanent residency, Kasatkina's hopes of becoming the first Australian woman to reach the quarter-finals since Ash Barty's triumphant year of 2019 fell short, but the 28-year-old said she enjoyed being the 'last Aussie standing'. "It's been a good start," she said. "First of all it's been a good result but also, I felt super good to step on the court as an Australian player. "To feel the support from the stands so many times. I don't know if everyone who was screaming, 'Aussie', were from Australia, but I felt this support. Also, on social media I'm getting a lot of support from the Australians that they are so happy to welcome me, and they're happy for me. "So this is the kind of support which I honestly didn't have before, it feels like it's something new to me — but it feels so nice." When asked if everyone was now allowed to call her "an Aussie battler" after she had given the sixth seed a real scare with her second-set counter-attack when she even earned a set point, Kasatkina offered a wry smile and replied: "If you want to …" It was a tremendous match full of variety, like blitz chess between two all-court grandmasters, played in a fabulous spirit by two training partners. Their 94-minute duel on Court Suzanne Lenglen ended with Kasatkina chucking her wristband jokingly at her conqueror at the net, while Andreeva informed the crowd tongue-in-cheek that she only practised with the Aussie because she hated her. "Maybe we know each other too good, maybe we have to take a break in practising … no, I'm kidding," Kasatkina said. The only other time they had played a match was in the final of last October's Ningbo Open in China, with Andreeva ending in tears and needing to be comforted by the player 10 years her senior after blowing a 3-0 lead in the final set. Things have clearly changed. Andreeva has grown up. This time, she said it was easy to put friendship aside as she repelled Kasatkina's second-set surge when the world No.17 went from 3-1 down to 5-3 up, with a combination of the most extraordinary defensive resolve and some ferocious attacking shots. All looked lost for Kasatkina at the start of the second, but she lived up to her promise that she was ready to "die on court" as she chased down seemingly impossible causes and even outlasted the youngster to win one remarkable 26-shot rally. And that utter determination did give Andreeva problems as Kasatkina earned a set point on the youngster's delivery at 5-4, only to be deprived by a powerful forehand. Once back level, Andreeva began to dictate. One piece of amazing retrieving also induced a dismal Kasatkina smash into the net, and enabled her to break to love, before she sealed the deal on her second match point when the Aussie hit a forehand long. Andreeva has reached the quarters without dropping a set and is the youngest woman this century to achieve back-to-back last-eight appearances. Martina Hingis last did it in 1998. Asked if her input in practice might have helped Andreeva mature, Kasatkina said: "I hope not!" But she did recognise a completely different force to the player she played in Ningbo . "Well, she grew so much. I feel like she's taller and taller every single week, her serve's improving all the time and her movement is very good," she said. Australian interest remains strong around the grounds, with world No.2 junior Emerson Jones through to the second round of the girls' event with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 win over American Capucine Jauffret. Olympic men's doubles champions John Peers and Matt Ebden beat Italian fourth seeds Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) to make the quarter-finals. AAP
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Daria Kasatkina bows out at French Open with defeat to familiar foe Mirra Andreeva
Daria Kasatkina's first grand slam as an Australian is over, ended at the French Open by her teenage phenomenon friend Mirra Andreeva. Two months since being granted permanent residency, Kasatkina's hopes of becoming the first Australian woman to reach the quarter-finals since Ash Barty's triumphant year of 2019 finally unravelled 6-3 7-5 at the hands of the exceptional Russian-born 18-year-old. The only other time the pair had played, in the final of last October's Ningbo Open in China, Andreeva had ended in tears and needed to be comforted by Kasatkina after blowing a 3-0 lead in the final set. On Monday, though, the French-based teen who has rocketed to No 6 in the world didn't let Kasatkina, 10 years her senior, off the hook on Court Suzanne Lenglen despite another nervy blip. Kasatkina even earned a set point to level the match after rallying in gritty fashion but Andreeva showed steely resolve to the win a compelling 94-minute duel. Defeat for Kasatkina meant the end of the green-and-gold singles challenge, but she could pride herself on having been the last Australian standing among the 16 starters in the draw. The youngest player to reach back-to-back women's singles quarter-finals at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis!Catch up on the highlights from Mirra Andreeva's straight-sets victory over Kasatkina 👇#RolandGarros 'It was a hell of a match,' Andreeva said after the friends hugged at the net. 'I'm super happy I stayed calm in the second set when she raised her level. Honestly, I'm so happy I won. I hate playing against her, we practise a lot and even that is a torture. 'My coach [Conchita Martinez] says you've got to practise with the people you don't like. That's why I practise with her because I hate her!' she added with a big smile. A tactical affair between two mates with terrific all-court games – Andreeva comes over like a younger, more power-laden version of Kasatkina – broke out on Roland Garros's second biggest arena as the Australian comfortably held her own at the start. Kasatkina even looked set to strike first in the seventh game, carving out two break points as Andreeva grew impatient. But the youngster is as tough as she is gifted. She held serve then induced five errors from Kasatkina in the next game to annex the key break. Under increasing pressure from the depth and accuracy of the teen's laser groundstrokes, Kasatkina scooped a backhand long to gift the first set in 40 minutes. Her problems were immediately compounded when Andreeva pulled off a lovely move at the start of the second set, a neat drop shot followed by a lofted winning pass that sealed an immediate break. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion Kasatkina had promised she was ready to 'die on court' and she looked absolutely spent after prevailing in one remarkable 26-shot rally. And that utter determination started to gnaw away at Andreeva as the Australian reeled off four games in a row from 3-1 down to serve for the set. But Andreeva immediately counter-attacked to break back, then battled to hold after Kasatkina earned a set point on the youngster's delivery at 5-4, only to be deprived by a powerful forehand. Once back level, Andreeva began to dictate. One piece of amazing defensive retrieving also induced a dismal Kasatkina smash into the net, and enabled her to break to love. She then sealed the deal on her second match point with Kasatkina hitting a forehand long. Andreeva has now reached the quarters without dropping a set and she's the youngest to achieve back-to-back last-eight appearances since Martina Hingis 27 years ago.
CNA
7 days ago
- Health
- CNA
Anisimova hopes to burn bright at French Open again after tough journey
PARIS : Amanda Anisimova said she experiences flashbacks of her run to the French Open semi-finals six years ago but the American aims to stay in the present at Roland Garros as she bids to continue her resurgence after a mental health break due to burnout. The powerful 23-year-old burst onto the scene at the Paris Grand Slam as a teenager in 2019 before being beaten by eventual champion Ash Barty, but struggled to hit the same heights since and took a hiatus from the game two years ago. "When I first got (back) here, I was getting some flashbacks and good memories," Anisimova said on Friday after beating Clara Tauson 7-6(4) 6-4 to reach the fourth round. "Every time I come here I get a bit of that, but once I get started and get into the groove of the tournament, I try to stay really present and in the moment. "It's 2025 now, so that's how I look at it. But yeah it's always nice to have that in the back of my head, that I had a great run here and also hopefully that the fans remember that and how they were carrying me through." Anisimova cultivated an art hobby and sold her paintings for charity before returning to the game last season and is now back in business as she bids to improve her world ranking of 16. "It's definitely been a journey, and I've had some amazing moments and some tough moments and phases," she said. "It's been quite a ride. I think the most important thing is just the people I surround myself with, the team I have. I think that's what drives me every day, especially having fun off of the court. That's the most important thing. "The wins aren't going to happen if you're not happy off of the court." Up next for Anisimova is world number one Aryna Sabalenka, a player she has a 5-2 win-loss record over having last beaten the Belarusian in the quarter-finals of Toronto last year. "We're both pretty big hitters, so I'm sure we're going to be going at it back and forth," said Anisimova. "She's one of the best right now. She's number one. It's always a good matchup. I enjoy the fight and the challenge she brings. I'm looking forward to it.
Reuters
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Anisimova hopes to burn bright at French Open again after tough journey
PARIS, May 30 (Reuters) - Amanda Anisimova said she experiences flashbacks of her run to the French Open semi-finals six years ago but the American aims to stay in the present at Roland Garros as she bids to continue her resurgence after a mental health break due to burnout. The powerful 23-year-old burst onto the scene at the Paris Grand Slam as a teenager in 2019 before being beaten by eventual champion Ash Barty, but struggled to hit the same heights since and took a hiatus from the game two years ago. "When I first got (back) here, I was getting some flashbacks and good memories," Anisimova said on Friday after beating Clara Tauson 7-6(4) 6-4 to reach the fourth round. "Every time I come here I get a bit of that, but once I get started and get into the groove of the tournament, I try to stay really present and in the moment. "It's 2025 now, so that's how I look at it. But yeah it's always nice to have that in the back of my head, that I had a great run here and also hopefully that the fans remember that and how they were carrying me through." Anisimova cultivated an art hobby and sold her paintings for charity before returning to the game last season and is now back in business as she bids to improve her world ranking of 16. "It's definitely been a journey, and I've had some amazing moments and some tough moments and phases," she said. "It's been quite a ride. I think the most important thing is just the people I surround myself with, the team I have. I think that's what drives me every day, especially having fun off of the court. That's the most important thing. "The wins aren't going to happen if you're not happy off of the court." Up next for Anisimova is world number one Aryna Sabalenka, a player she has a 5-2 win-loss record over having last beaten the Belarusian in the quarter-finals of Toronto last year. "We're both pretty big hitters, so I'm sure we're going to be going at it back and forth," said Anisimova. "She's one of the best right now. She's number one. It's always a good matchup. I enjoy the fight and the challenge she brings. I'm looking forward to it. "Hopefully I can bring my 'A' game. Hopefully it'll be a good match."
