Russia’s Daria Kasatkina admits she is finding it stressful trying to qualify for the WTA Finals but is also making the most of the process at the Guadalajara Open in Mexico.
The world No.11 is among 13 players in contention of securing a place in the year-end tournament which will only feature the eight highest-ranked players. How Kasatkina and her peers perform in Mexico this week will decide if they will be travelling to the tournament which will be held in Dallas this year before its expected return to China in 2023.
Kasatkina, who is seeded seventh in the draw, began her campaign on Tuesday with a convincing 6-1, 6-2, win over Zhu Lin. This week she is seeking her third Tour title of the year and her seventh overall.
“As much as I was trying to push away the thought of the Finals, to trick myself, I cannot,” Kasatkina told WTA Insider.
“I just have to accept this pressure and face it the way I can. It’s the first time I actually have a chance to compete, not as an alternate, so it’s stressful. But the way I am doing on the court, I’m pretty happy.
“I’m not in a bad position. And after this match I’m in an even better position. That’s why this was a really important one and now I feel I put the heavy backpack down.
“This pressure is good. If at the end of 2019 someone tells me in three years you’re going to have the pressure to go to the WTA Finals to play, I would say are you kidding me? I cannot believe it. So far it’s a very good problem to have.”
The 25-year-old is aiming to end her season inside the world’s top 10 for the first time since 2018. Last season she finished in 26th position. In her next round in Guadalajara, Kasatkina will play against either Elise Mertens or Anna Kalinskaya.
Another player targeting a place in Dallas is Maria Sakkari who beat Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-4, to temporarily move into the last qualifying spot above Veronika Kudermetova who will play her opening match on Wednesday. So far this year, the Greek has won 34 matches against 21 losses.
“I come from a country that is very far, and I was actually surprised the last year that I got this love from every single Mexican in this tournament,” Sakkari said afterwards. “I’m very grateful and thankful for that. I’ll try and enjoy as much as I can this week because I want to stay until the end. I really like this place.”
Caroline Garcia was on the verge of defeat before fighting back to defeat Canadian qualifier Rebecca Marino 6-7(2) 6-3 7-6(5). The Frenchwoman hit a total of 13 aces and won 79% of her first service points. She next faces a tricky encounter against either Belinda Bencic or Sloane Stephens.
As it currently stands, only three players have officially qualified for the WTA Finals – Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur and Jessica Pegula. Out of the trio, Pegula is the only one who is playing in Mexico this week.
