Daria Kasatkina is bracing for a significant challenge against former world No.1 Naomi Osaka on Friday after ensuring the Aussie flags were waving with pride for the third straight day at Wimbledon.
Formerly a top 10 player, the adopted Australian played with the verve that established her as one of the world’s elite players earlier this decade when ousting Janice Tjen 6-7 (5) 6-1 6-4 in 2hr 37min on Wednesday.
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Having arrived at Wimbledon bereft of form following a lean grass court season, Kasatkina felt she played a “dirty match” against English wildcard Mimi Xu on Monday, but she raised her level significantly against the powerful Tjen.
In reaching the third round at Wimbledon for the fourth straight year, the 29-year-old has set up an encounter against the superstar Osaka, a four-time major winner whose recent form on grass has been strong.
The Japanese star was the world’s premier hardcourt player before and during the pandemic but has struggled to produce her best form on the natural surfaces of clay and grass. But this European summer has been encouraging for her.
After reaching the last 16 at Roland Garros for the first time, she reached a final in Germany on grass last week, before withdrawing midway through the decider as a precautionary measure after feeling pain in her foot.
But Osaka, who lit the Olympic flame at the Tokyo Olympics, has shown no discomfort in two straight sets victories and is unbeaten in three outings against Kasatkina as she bids to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon for the first time.
“I would say I do feel (more comfortable). There are definitely strengths that I can utilise here,” she said.
“It’s interesting ‘cause it took me a really long time to figure out the difference between all the clay court tournaments. (And) I feel like on my first practice from Germany to here I figured out this grass is completely different.
“I think I’m still adjusting to it a little bit (but) when I’m playing my opponents on grass, I do feel like … my game does give me a little bit of benefit.”
Kasatkina is mindful the encounter will be well-watched, and not just because of the spectacular outfits Osaka has been wearing on to court at Wimbledon and in other majors in recent years. It shapes as a big encounter for both players.
“It’s obviously a very tough draw and a very tough match, especially on grass,” she said.
“I mean, I (have) never beaten her before, so it’s not a perfect situation for me, but (there is) also less pressure for me … but for sure it’s going to be tough.
“The way she’s playing, it’s tough on any surface, but I think grass it’s gonna be tough because she has got a very good serve, good shots (and) she’s trying to attack all the time. That’s the best tactic on grass … for sure.
When told Osaka was yet to progress to the second week at Wimbledon, Kasatkina quipped that was one bit of “good news” before noting that statistics matter for little when the players are “in the fog” on court.
What does matter is that Kasatkina, a former world No.8 and quarterfinalist at Wimbledon who has endured a testing year after an injury in the infancy of the season, produced close to her best form in to oust her Indonesian rival.
The right-hander entered Wimbledon without a solitary triumph on grass in three lead-in tournaments but furthered her reputation for saving her best tennis for the majors with a fine win over a rival ranked 23 spots higher.
Kasatkina is one of five Australians remaining at Wimbledon in singles, with her compatriots Alex de Minaur, James Duckworth, Maya Joint and Kimberly Birrell due to play their second round encounters on Thursday.
The Melbourne-based Kasatkina was under pressure in the infancy of the match against Tjen, who boasts considerable firepower on her forehand wing and is capable of producing sizzling winners from deep behind the baseline.
But the Aussie was the better player from midway through the first set, even though she was narrowly edged in the first set tie-break in match that endured some momentum swings.
A quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 2018, the 29-year-old is a craftswoman on the court, mixing spins and speeds and changing the trajectory of her shots rather than a master blaster capable of clubbing a rival off the court.
Her steadiness came to the fore against the Indonesian, whose inconsistency became problematic as the second round encounter continued.
The former Roland Garros semi-finalist received Australian citizenship in March last year on compassionate grounds given her status as an openly gay woman and opposition to the invasion of Ukraine put her at risk in her native Russia.
And while the 42nd ranked Tjen had a decent fan base in the match on Court 16, there was no shortage of Aussie voices cheering the plucky Kasatkina on as she wrested control of the match in the second set.
The third set was tighter, with Kasatkina securing an early break before coughing it up, only to break again immediately. But she held her nerve on serve late in the match despite being tested by Tjen, who heavily slices her backhand, in a strong win.