25-year-old Daria Kasatkina battled her way into the semi-finals of the French Open. The 20th seed saw off Veronika Kudermetova for her maiden appearance in the final four of a Grand Slam. The Russians had little to separate them over 2 hours and 8 minutes of gritty tennis, with Kasatkina edging out 6-4, 7-6. Speaking after the match, she was a mixture of joy and relief:

“The match was really nervous and tight – especially the tiebreak, the last few points were super-tight. I’m happy at the end that I won, it’s important for me and I’m happy to be in the semis for the first time.”

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Wielding a racquet since the age of 6, Kasatkina has excelled at youth levels, winning the European 16s Championship and a Junior French Open. Rising as high as 32 in the WTA rankings at only eighteen, she established her credentials as a serious prospect. Winning her first WTA title at the Charleston Open in 2017, she would impress further at Indian Wells in 2018, finishing runner-up to Naomi Osaka. After quarter-final appearances in the French Open and Wimbledon, she would close out the year with her second WTA title. It was also particularly emotional! Five years since making her professional debut at the Kremlin Cup, she would return to clinch the trophy, outlasting Tunisian Ons Jabeur in a tight three-setter. It would catapult her into the top 10 after a wildly successful 2018.

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However, her levels would drop alarmingly in the coming years. After a wretched 2019 to 2020, she would drop to as low as 72 on the rankings. After an encouraging start to 2021, she was out of the Australian Open in the second round. Kasatkina would bounce back almost immediately, claiming her third title in the Phillip Island Trophy, held during the second week of the Australian Open. After an underwhelming clay-court season, she would shine on the grass at the Birmingham Classic, finishing runner-up to Ons Jabeur. After a quarter-final appearance at Eastbourne, she would wrap the grass-court season with a second-round appearance in Wimbledon. Making steady gains on the North American hard-courts, Kasatkina showed signs of her best in the US Open, losing to fifth-seed Elina Svitolina in third round.

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Prior to this year’s French Open, she made a dash to the semis of the Rome Masters, losing to Ons Jabeur in a steadily bubbling rivalry. Breaking into the semis for the first time, the Russian will duke it out against Polish top-seed Iga Swiatek for a place in Sunday’s final.