Daria Kasatkina
Updated: Wikipedia source
Daria Sergeyevna Kasatkina (born 7 May 1997) is a Russian-born Australian professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as world No. 8 in singles by the WTA, achieved in October 2022. Kasatkina has won eight WTA Tour singles titles and one title in doubles. Her best results at majors are making the semifinal of the 2022 French Open and the quarterfinal of Wimbledon in 2018. Born to athletic parents who were nationally ranked in athletics and ice hockey, Kasatkina began playing tennis at age six at the insistence of her older brother. She excelled as a junior, winning the European 16s championship and one junior major singles title at the 2014 French Open. Kasatkina quickly ascended up the professional rankings, reaching No. 32 in the world, while still 18 years old and winning her first WTA Tour title in 2017 as a teenager at the Charleston Open. She rose to prominence in 2018 by finishing runner-up to fellow up-and-coming player Naomi Osaka at the Premier Mandatory Indian Wells Open in a match regarded as representing a new wave of women's tennis. Kasatkina also has won the biggest titles of her career at the Kremlin Cup and at the St. Petersburg Trophy at home in Russia. Following three successful seasons on the WTA Tour, Kasatkina struggled in 2019, falling into the bottom half of the top 100. However, she had a resurgent 2021, claiming two titles to return to the top 30, followed by another two titles in 2022, marking her to return to the top 10. In team competition, Kasatkina led the Russian team to victory at the 2020–21 Billie Jean King Cup, winning all her matches in the tournament. Alongside Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Liudmila Samsonova, Veronika Kudermetova, and Ekaterina Alexandrova, she helped secure Russia's first Billie Jean King Cup title since 2008. Following her coming out as lesbian in 2022 (as a Russian, where LGBTQ rights are severely restricted) and her public condemning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kasatkina opted to switch nationalities to Australia in 2025. At that time, she was the second best ranked female Russian player; subsequently, she became the new number-one Australian player. Kasatkina is known for her crafty style of play and diverse shotmaking. Compared to hard-hitting players who rely on their physicality and pure power, she relies on her speed and tennis IQ to outmanoeuvre her opponents. In addition to playing tennis, Kasatkina hosts a popular vlog series on YouTube titled What The Vlog with her girlfriend and Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako. The channel covers life on the WTA circuit and often features cameos from other players.