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Daria Kasatkina was close to winning her first title on the 2024 WTA Tour at the Charleston Open but came up short against Danielle Collins.
Kasatkina was seeded No. 4 at the WTA 500 tournament and faced reigning Miami Open champion Danielle Collins in the title contest on April 7. Collins, who is playing her last year on the WTA Tour, has been in red-hot form over the past couple of weeks and continued her dominance on the court as she defeated Kasatkina to win her fourth tour title.
Danielle Collins broke Daria Kasatkina two times in either set to win the match 6-2, 6-1 in an hour and 19 minutes. The American saved both breakpoints on her serve to triumph at two consecutive tournaments.
After Kasatkina lost to Collins in the title contest, her girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako sent a heartfelt message to her via Instagram. Zabiiako posted a picture of Kasatkina from the match and said she will always be her champion.
"Champ of my heart," Zabiiako wrote on Instagram.
Daria Kasatkina revealed her relationship with Natalia Zabiiako, a Russian Olympic figure skater, after coming out as lesbian in mid-2022. Since then, both have often shared pictures together on social media, and Zabiiako regularly shares vlogs of her time with Kasatkina at different WTA tournaments and interactions with other tennis stars.
Daria Kasatkina gives a special shoutout to Natalia Zabiiako's YouTube channel at Charleston Open 2024
Daria Kasatkina mentioned Natalia Zabiiako's YouTube channel, 'What the Vlog,' during her campaign at the 2024 Charleston Open. The World No. 11 gave a shoutout to Zabiiako's channel after her quarterfinal win against Romania's Jaqueline Cristian on April 5.
Kasatkina was pushed to three sets by Cristian but eventually came on top 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3. After the match, the Russian mentioned 'What the Vlog' during the ceremonious camera signing, asking fans to check out the channel.
"Charleston Forever 💜 What the Vlog!” Kasatkina wrote.
Kasatkina was in the groove on the green clay in Charleston and defeated Ashlyn Krueger, Anhelina Kalinina, Jaqueline Cristian, and top-seed Jessica Pegula before losing to Danielle Collins. The 2024 Charleston Open was the 26-year-old's second WTA Tour final as she had also reached the title contest at the Abu Dhabi Open.
In Abu Dhabi, Kasatkina bettered Diane Parry, Ashlyn Krueger, Sorana Cristea, and Beatriz Haddad Maia but lost the WTA 500 title to Elena Rybakina.
