Russian tennis number one advances in WTA Finals

Daria Kasatkina beat Coco Gauff in Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday

Russian women’s tennis number one Daria Kasatkina celebrated one of the biggest wins of her career at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday, beating 2022 French Open finalist Coco Gauff.

The number eight seed at the competition beat the number four seed in straight sets by a score of 7-6 (6), 6-3 in the round robin Tracy Austin Group. If she wins against Caroline Garcia on Saturday, she can advance to the semi-finals.

“It was tough,” Kasatkina commented post-match. “I was nervous at the beginning ... With the rhythm of the match, nerves disappear a little bit and start to be better. So I’m really happy to be in the next round, still alive.”

Kasatkina played a tidy game against Gauff by hitting 14 winners to match 14 unforced errors. Looking certain to lose the first set when trailing 4-1, she came back to 6-5 and forced a tie break in which she eventually prevailed, despite falling behind 3-0.

With momentum on her side in the second set, Kasatkina won 6-3 to secure her third career victory over Gauff. It was also her 25th victory on hardcourt in 2022, her highest yet.

Dasha does it!@DKasatkina holds off Gauff for her maiden WTA Finals win