Daria Kasatkina is up and running as an Australian in Australia, winning her opener at the Adelaide International.
Kasatkina beat Maria Sakkari 7-6(7-2), 6-4 at the Adelaide International, and now takes on Jaqueline Cristian in the next round.
It represents her first win in Australia as an Australian, with Kasatkina having lost her opener in Brisbane earlier this season.
Kasatkina switched allegiances from Russia to Australia last year, but the WTA ace was forced to end her season early.
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Danielle Collins praises WTA ‘warrior’ Daria Kasatkina
Eight-time WTA champion Kasatkina hit “breaking point” in late 2025, with her fellow player Danielle Collins now discussing that scenario after seeing her win in Adelaide.
She said on Tennis Channel: “Well, Kasatkina has really proven herself over the last couple of years, being one of our tour warriors, I like to refer to her as.
“I think the schedule, the demands of the tour life, it’s a lot for every single athlete, and we all go through different ups and downs.
“She had that breaking point. It seems like she had a really great offseason, some time to relax, some time to just enjoy life and do some things that maybe… she was too busy playing tennis and kicking butt, right?
“So now she’s having some time to come back now and get this going again, and hopefully she’s going to feel good for the rest of the year, and we won’t hear about any more breaking points.”
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Daria Kasatkina thanks Adelaide fans after first win in Australia
It was a very tough end to the 2025 season for Kasatkina, who is currently 48th in the WTA Tour rankings.
She once climbed as high as world number eight, with the 28-year-old certain to be eager for a fresh start in 2026.
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Sharing her verdict on a first win in Australia as an Australian, she said: “Honestly I was waiting for this moment for a long time.
“I was super nervous. Also coming from Brisbane, losing a tough match there and then seeing the draw here, such a strong tournament.
“So yeah, I am honestly over the moon right now, it feels so special. And you guys making it special, thank you so much.”
It was a huge moment for Kasatkina, who received plenty of support from the Adelaide crowd after a hard-fought victory over Sakkari.
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