'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Daria Kasatkina has shown that if love wins, so does her game. Kasatkina kept her semifinal hopes alive as she eliminated fourth seed Coco Gauff, 7-6(6), 6(3), in a battle between two WTA Finals debutantes.
With her girlfriend supporting her at the year-end championships, Kasatkina is letting her fulfillment off the court translate to her tennis skills. In an interview on the Tennis Channel, Kasatkina stated:
"Being happy outside of the court always helps you to be better on the court."
The current World No. 8 went on to explain the influence that her significant other, Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiakoi, recently had on her career as she is enjoying her best ranking anchored on her first Grand Slam semifinal at Roland Garros, a Last Four appearance in the Italian Open, as well as two titles in San Jose and in Granby.
In contrast, this is a major improvement from her 2019 season, where she had 20 losses against just 13 wins, leading to her dropping from the Top 10. Compiling a fourth-best 40-22 record this season next only to Iga Świątek, Ons Jabeur, and Jessica Pegula, Daria Kasatkina said:
"I remember in 2019, I was not happy outside of the court, and obviously, I couldn't show anything on the court. I wasn't enjoying anything, so these two things combined."
In July last year, Kasatkina came out as gay while confirming her relationship with Zabiiakoi in an interview with a Russian blogger on YouTube:
"It's just important to be happy, to be open. To be yourself is the most important and this is what happened to me. I'm really happy with how it goes, with the way everything is going. I'm just happy this way and blessed. Thanks to the people who support me and who were always with me."
"Probably win; It doesn't matter how" - Daria Kasatkina in a must-win match against 'super aggressive' Caroline Garcia
During an interview on the Tennis Channel, Daria Kasatkina candidly admitted that she was unsure how she could win her 'must-win' round robin match in the WTA Finals against Caroline Garcia when asked about potential strategies or tactics.
But Kasatkina knows that she wants the victory, and that she will do all that she can to get past Garcia and her aggressive returns:
"I don't know. Probably win; it doesn't matter how. Caroline, she's super aggressive. You can see where she is returning any serve. She doesn't care who she plays; she is returning very aggressive. She's trying to close the points as soon as possible. So, it's going to be tough. She wants to win for sure, not less than me."
Kasatkina and Garcia will square off in a do or die battle for the second semifinal slot in the four-woman Tracy Austin Group. Kasatkina and Garcia each have a 1-1 record in round-robin eliminations, with both of their losses against the seemingly invincible Iga Świątek.
They each scored their sole victories against Coco Gauff, with Kasatkina booting Gauff out of contention.
The World No. 8 Russian and the World No. 6 Frenchwoman hold a 1-1 slate against each other, with the 25-year-old Kasatkina winning their latest faceoff in a match that went the distance in San Jose last year. The 29-year-old Garcia drew first blood through a much easier straight-sets triumph in Wuhan three years ago.
