Daria Kasatkina briefly threatened to force a deciding set before her first grand slam as an Australian ended at the hands of teenage phenom and close friend Mirra Andreeva at Roland-Garros.
Kasatkina playfully threw her black wristband at Andreeva as they walked to the net after the Russian sixth seed booked her quarter-final spot with a 6-3, 7-5 victory that required her to reel off the final four games to avoid a do-or-die third set.
Australia’s Daria Kasatkina returns the ball to Spain’s Paula Badosa.Credit: AP
It was a high-quality contest, but Andreeva’s extra firepower proved the difference despite Kasatkina’s aggression and guile often providing headaches for her younger rival.
The two of them are a decade apart in age – Kasatkina, 28, and Andreeva, 18 – but have formed a tight bond.
They shared an ice bath after their respective third-round wins two days earlier, practice together regularly, and poked fun at one another pre-match. The wristband moment was Kasatkina’s way of lightening the mood.
“It was a very little thing because she’s always throwing something at me outside the court,” Kasatkina said.
Mirra Andreeva celebrates after she won the fourth round match against Daria Kasatkina.Credit: AP
“It was just a little fun. Of course, I was disappointed after the match, but it’s a game. I wanted to do something a little funny after.
“It was a very tough match. I had quite a few chances in the second set [and] also in the first set. When you play a top player like Mirra; everything comes [down to the] details … those few important points [when] we were battling hard.”
Andreeva is the youngest woman to reach consecutive Roland-Garros quarter-finals since Martina Hingis in 1997-98 and next faces fellow young star Coco Gauff as she hunts her maiden major title.
“I’m so happy I won because I hate playing against [Kasatkina],” Andreeva said. “We practice a lot, and even the practice is a torture for me. Honestly, it was a hell of a match.”
Kasatkina’s defeat ends Australia’s singles involvement after Alexei Popyrin’s own fourth-round loss on Sunday.
The No.17 seed, who announced in March she was switching allegiances from Russia to Australia, had some rueful moments.
There was none more so than the simple overhead she dumped into the net at five-all in the second set to fall 0-30 behind before conceding serve, but on her sole set point she was also too passive returning Andreeva’s tame, 115kmh second serve – and the opportunity went begging.
Kasatkina still enjoyed a successful tournament overall.
Winner Mirra Andreeva hugs with Daria Kasatkina after their fourth round match.Credit: AP
She arrived in Paris with only two wins from six matches on clay this year, but beat Katerina Siniakova, local hope Leolia Jeanjean, then Paula Badosa in the third round for her first top-10 victory of the season.
For Kasatkina, it was evidence she had emerged from her “little crisis” and reason to be positive for what comes next.
Her new tennis status as an Australian remains a talking point, and her comment before the Andreeva showdown that she was willing to “die on court” to give herself a chance at upsetting the emerging star would likely have endeared her to any new fans.
That Kasatkina dug her heels in from a break down in the second set to fight back then serve for it at 5-3 should also earn her respect, even if the result ultimately went against her.
Daria Kasatkina plays a shot.Credit: AP
She gave the green light afterwards to a journalist who lightheartedly asked whether they could refer to her as “an Aussie battler”.
Kasatkina’s grand unveiling as an Australian will not properly occur until she arrives at Melbourne Park next summer, but she revealed during the fortnight that the change had added both pressure and motivation.
“It’s been a good result, first of all, but also, I felt super good, honestly, to step on the court as an Australian player,” she said.
“To feel the support from the stands [meant a lot] … 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. This is support I honestly didn’t have before.
“It’s something new to me, but it feels so nice. Of course, there could be a better result – always could be better – but I think it’s a good start.”
Kasatkina’s decision to switch allegiances was a deeply personal one.
She has not returned to Russia for almost three years since announcing she was gay, and in a relationship with Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako in an interview in July 2022. Kasatkina also condemned her birth country’s invasion of Ukraine at the time.
Some Russians branded her a “traitor” for her choice to become an Australian, which she revealed after the federal government approved her application for permanent residency.
Kasatkina has not been back to Australia yet, but plans to settle in Melbourne, where her friend and fellow former Russian Daria Saville lives.
Watch all the action from Roland-Garros live & on-demand on Stan Sport, with two courts in 4K. Coverage of select matches free-to-air on 9GemHD and streaming on 9Now
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