Kasatkina to face Fernandez in Eastbourne WTA final

Published by TennisTemple.com Rédaction, Friday 06/28/24 18:33

Daria Kasatkina will battle Leylah Fernandez for the Eastbourne International WTA title after reaching the final of the Wimbledon warm-up event for the second straight year.

Sixth seed Kasatkina came from behind to defeat Jasmine Paolini 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in her semi-final on England's south coast on Friday while Fernandez defeated reigning champion Madison Keys.

Paolini, the third seed, was playing her first tournament since the French Open, where she reached the finals of both the singles and the doubles earlier this month.

The Italian broke three times in the first set to establish a foothold in a match in which there were nine breaks of serve in total.

The first 11 games of the second set went with serve until Paolini cracked, allowing Kasatkina to level.

Paolini took a 2-0 lead in the decider but saw her advantage slip as her 27-year-old Russian opponent broke twice to win.

"It's never easy to come to a tournament where you have to defend a lot of (ranking) points, but I'm really happy that I was able to play good and enjoy myself on court, always finding a way to come back in the match," Kasatkina said.

Kasatkina now faces Fernandez, beaten in the 2021 US Open final by Britain's Emma Raducanu, with the Canadian bidding for a fourth title in her career.

World number 30 Fernandez overcame American fourth seed Keys 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in blustery conditions at Devonshire Park.

"Grass suits Leylah very good," said Kasatkina. "Her game, she's a very aggressive player, always trying to stay inside (the court)."

- 'Means a lot' -

Saturday's match will be the 21-year-old Fernandez's first WTA final on grass, with Wimbledon starting on Monday.

"It means a lot to me," said Fernandez. "We have been working super hard over the past couple of months and I am super happy with the results these past few weeks."

In the men's tournament, top-seed Taylor Fritz, twice an Eastbourne champion, needed two tie-break sets to book his place in the final, with the American defeating Aleksandar Vukic 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4).

"I felt like I had a lot of chances to break and I just couldn't make it happen," said Fritz, who won Eastbourne in 2019 and 2022.

"It doesn't feel good just scraping by in 'breakers but it gives me a lot of confidence that I am finding ways to win."

The 26-year-old added: "I love playing here. The tournament is extra special to me because this is where I got my first title...and hopefully I'll be back tomorrow (Saturday) to get number three."

Fritz will face Max Purcell for the title after the Australian qualifier won through to his first ATP Tour final by defeating British wildcard Billy Harris 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

"I have a new coach this week and I feel everything is coming together this week," said Purcell, who won the 2022 Wimbledon doubles title with Matthew Ebden. "It feels good."
Source: AFP

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I agree, the fact that he pulled of a five setter shows what level he had at the time, especially considering that Rafa didn't play bad. I don't think that Grigor choked in that match. The match was as even as a match can be but sport is brutal and it can only be one winner. Being a die hard Federer fan I can then say that on a personal level I am so grateful for the outcome of AO 2017 so even though I cheered for Grigor in the semi it was an experience of a lifetime to having witnessed the final between Roger and Rafa, not only was the final of the highest level but it was unbelievable to see Roger turn the tides against his old Nemisis, I think that it was a surrealistic ending of the rivalry but so sweet for all Fed fans.

Daniel N. il y a 8 heures

Inspiring!!

Paddy P il y a 16 heures

Personally I still think Murray would be best just playing Olympics then pulling out of the rest of the year and trying to have a redo of the goodbye tour next year

bogbot.tc il y a 1 jour

Not that he was facing that stiff of competition, but after winning Eastbourne I wonder if Fritz, seeded 13th, actually has a better chance at going deep into W than 4th seed Zverev.

SH321 il y a 1 jour

Glad Zverev has his self pumped up and hope he plays well and goes deep into the tournament. However, Sinner just won Halle, so he appears to be performing well on grass. Alcaraz not so much this year, but he did win W last year.

SH321 il y a 1 jour

The stress of having points to defend is part of the mental aspect of tennis. In part because that affects your ranking and where you get seeded in future tournaments. Having the mental fortitude to deal with stress is part of the game. Some people were lucky and born with the temperament for that, others not so lucky.

SH321 il y a 1 jour