French Open: Kasatkina dazzles with trick shot in win over Vondrousova

Russian ninth seed Daria Kasatkina produced an early candidate for shot of the tournament during a classy 6-3 6-4 defeat of former runner-up Marketa Vondrousova to sweep into the third round of the French Open.

Published : May 31, 2023 20:21 IST , PARIS - 1 MIN READ

Daria Kasatkina in action.
Daria Kasatkina in action. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
infoIcon

Daria Kasatkina in action. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Russian ninth seed Daria Kasatkina produced an early candidate for shot of the tournament during a classy 6-3 6-4 defeat of former runner-up Marketa Vondrousova to sweep into the third round of the French Open on Wednesday.

Kasatkina was coming under pressure from the left-handed Czech at 2-3 down in the second set and 30-30 and looked about to go break point down as she chased back to retrieve a superb lob volley by Vondrousova.

But the 26-year-old conjured a magical between the legs shot that flashed by a stunned opponent who had advanced to the net.

She duly held serve with a forehand winner but Vondrousova, who reached the final in 2019 when she lost to Ash Barty, stuck to her task and had a point to lead 5-3 before Kasatkina hit back to reel off the last three games.

Kasatkina lost to Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year and remains one of the most inventive players on the women’s circuit and is gearing up for another deep run.

Asked on court about her ‘tweener’ Kasatkina said it was nothing to do with luck.

“When I was a kid I was at home practising this shot against the wall, hitting the wall, lobbing myself and playing the tweener all the time,” she said.

“Maybe two hours a day, so it’s not luck. I practised this shot a lot and finally it paid off.”

Kasatkina will play 69th-ranked American Peyton Stearns in the next round.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment