Russian Daria Kasatkina toppled her third top-10 player in a row Friday to reach the WTA Indian Wells final, shocking world number eight Venus Williams 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
The 20-year-old Kasatkina rallied to claim the biggest victory of her career and defeat seven-time Grand Slam winner Williams, extending a year-long assault on top players, Grand Slam winners and former world number ones.
Kasatkina, seeded 20th, next faces either world number one Simona Halep or Japan’s Naomi Osaka in Sunday’s final.
Serving for the match, Kasatkina clinched the victory on her second match point as she raced out to a 40-0 lead. Venus hit a cross-court forehand winner on the first match point but then dumped a backhand into the net to end the two hour, 49 minute marathon showdown.
Ultimately the young Russian proved to be too strong for the 37-year-old Williams, who appeared to hit a wall at about the two and a half hour mark.
The turning point came in the third set as Williams was left breathing heavily on her chair after holding serve in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead.
Williams, who was winning matches in Indian Wells before Kasatkina was even born, has enjoyed a longevity in tennis that is rarely achieved. But in the end she didn’t have the legs to stay with the rising Russian star, who won the final three games.
Kasatkina fired one ace, hit five double faults and broke Williams’s serve seven times in the entertaining match.
Williams hit more winners, 45-30, and broke Kasatkina six times but she also made five double faults — some at crucial moments in the match.
“Anyone who gets used to losses should give up on life,” Williams said.
Kasatkina continues her Cinderella run through the California desert tournament as she goes for her second WTA title.
She highlighted 2017 by claiming her first crown in Charleston, beating fellow teenager Jelena Ostapenko in the final.
Months after a witty, holier-than-thou, jack-of-all-trades caretaker government retreated from the executive, repeated horrors from…
For all those hoping to see matured Pak-India relations enter a new chapter of normalisation,…
Narendra Modi is seeking the premiership of the country for the record third time. The…
The ASER 2023 report findings further indicate that the highest level of learning for Urdu…
Another major theme of the populists' strategy is to deliberately invoke hate and social schism…
Leave a Comment