Daria Kasatkina says she is mentally and physically at the best level of her career ahead of her semi-final clash with Iga Swiatek at the French Open on Thursday.
Playing in the main draw of a Grand Slam for the 26th time in her career, Kasatkina has sealed her place in the last four for the first time by beating compatriot Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 7-6(5). Making it the fifth match in a row she has won in straight sets in Paris. Kasatkina has won 10 out of her last 12 Tour matches with her only losses being to Sara Sorribes Tormo in Madrid and Ons Jabeur in Rome.
The 28-year-old believes her recent clash with Jabeur and a growing maturity on the court has helped elevate her level of play coming into this year’s French Open.
“I took that loss in a good way, let’s say. So I learned a lot from that and I just kept going because I knew that I have another big opportunity next week,” she explained in her press conference.
“This is the most important (thing) I was trying to learn for many years on tour because when I was losing matches like these it was drama for the next few days.’
“Now I’m taking these kinds of losses or matches differently. It was not an easy way to come to this point.”
In October 2018 Kasatkina peaked at a ranking high of 10th in the world and managed to hold that position for almost three months. However, since then she has endured a turbulent time on the Tour with a series of lacklustre results. At the start of last season she was outside the top 70.
She turned her fortunes around with the help of coach Carlos Martinez who has been working alongside her for three years. A former player on the men’s Tour who has also worked with the likes of Svetlana Kuznetsova, Marc Lopez, Kateryna Kozlova and Feliciano Lopez.
“‘I’m really thankful to Carlos because we started to work together when I was at the bottom of the ocean,” the 28-year-old reflected.
“It was tough. The first year was maybe super tough until I got to some level last year. I’m thankful for his patience with me because I’m not an easy person as well, on the court and off the court. But he always finds ways. It’s unbelievable how he can adjust the way of working and the way of talking as well, compared to how I feel.”
It is hard to dispute Kasatkina’s confidence surge in the French capital where she made her main draw debut back in 2016. Although she is taking nothing for granted.
“Mentally and physically I feel the best I ever was which is good because it means that I’m improving,” she states.
“I don’t feel safe because when you’re in the comfort zone it means there’s something wrong.”
The world No.20 has the prime opportunity to test out how high her level is currently at on Thursday when she plays the formidable Swiatek. A player who is currently on a 33-match winning streak which is the third-longest run by a female player on the WTA Tour this century. Swiatek defeated Jessica Pegula in straight sets in her quarter-final match.
Kasatkina has a poor record against the world No.1 after losing to her comprehensively three times already this season. In all of those matches, she has never won more than five games.
“We played a few times this year. I lost those matches but it was a different story. It was a hard court, at the beginning of the year and I was not in the same shape as I am now,” Kasatkina said of her rivalry with Swiatek. “I cannot compare what we are going to have tomorrow (in the semi-final) and what we had in February, March when we were playing. So it’s going to be a completely different match. I want to win a lot, she wants to win as well, and it’s going to be a good match.”
“You never know what’s going to happen in the semifinal of a Grand Slam.”
Kasatkina is bidding to become the first Russian woman to win the French Open since Maria Sharapova in 2014.
