Russian tennis player Daria Kasatkina has won a match against Caroline Wozniacki, the second best female player according to the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Sputnik has gathered some facts about the rising tennis star, who, at age 21, already holds 14th place in the WTA ranking.
Holding a Tennis Racket Since Childhood
Kasatkina started playing tennis when she was 6-years-old and has been coached since she was eleven. She won her first tournament 3 years later and in 2013 she won the international Junior Fed Cup as part of the Russian team. When she finished her junior career in 2014 she was ranked 3rd among her peers, having beaten the number one ranked Ivana Jorovic in the finals of the French Open in 2014.
Assertive Start to Professional Career
During her first year in professional tennis, she rose by 300 positions, making it to the third round at the US Open and winning the first doubles title at the Kremlin Cup. In 2016 she won her greatest victory so far by beating former number one female tennis player Venus Williams at the ASB Classic.
Over the following years she gradually rose in ranking, winning matches against several active and former top-10 players in the WTA. She won her first WTA title at age 20 at the Volvo Car Open in 2017. In 2018, she became the best female tennis player in Russia according to the national rating and reached her first quarterfinals at the Grand Slam tournament, the French Open.
Nadal Her Favorite Player
The rising Russian tennis star doesn't really follow any female players, but loves to watch Rafael Nadal play and regards him as a professional inspiration. Apart from tennis, she also follows soccer and is a fan of FC Barcelona.