In their second round match at Wimbledon Championships, Russian rising star Daria Kasatkina improved her record in a major by defeating Spain's Lara Arruabarrena 7-6(9), 6-3.
The 19-year-old Kasatkina had made her debut at a Grand Slam at 2015 U.S. Open as a lucky loser, and at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club she is starting as a seeded player in a major for the second time, after her appearance at the previous French Open. With today’s victory, Kasatkina had successfully reached at least the third round in every major she has competed in.
For Arruabarrena is the second-straight second round loss at Wimbledon. Last year she surrendered in two sets to 31st seed Camila Giorgi.
Kasatkina takes the first set after a battled tiebreak
The first set started out battled since the beginning, with Kasatkina taking the advantage multiple times, but always failing to consolidate it.
The first two games saw the Spaniard in control of the match; she easily held her starting game and went to take her first break point of the set right after. Three unforced errors in a row from the 24-years-old delivered the game into the Russian’s hands.
In another battled game, the Russian gained the momentum and rushed forward to take the break and the following service game, putting pressure on the rallies without conceding her opponent a single point.
As quickly as Kasatkina gained the lead, she lost it. Arruabarrena pushed with her serve to hold the following game, forcing the Russian to multiple errors on return, and then takes back the break to love, with a huge help from Kasatkina, who seemed to could not keep the ball in play.
After two very short games, another battled one saw the Russian eventually prevail and take the lead again: with the Spaniard struggling with her first serve, Kasatkina prevented her twice from holding the game and eventually gained a break point, which she consolidated right away. Another time, she easily held to love right away and gained a 5-3 advantage and the chance to serve out the set.
Another easy hold from the Spaniard and Kasatkina found herself in trouble one more time. After losing a 30-0 lead, she gained a set point from 40-30 up, and another one right after losing it, but eventually dropped a break point to her opponent who didn’t miss her chance, and she leveled off to a 5-5 scoreline.
The Russian granted herself another chance to serve for the set by breaking the Spaniard’s following game to love, but one more time she wasted it, as Arruabarrena took the break back without conceding any more set points.
The tiebreak showed little differences from the rest of the set; both players struggled to take control with their serve, and none of them seemed able to win two points in a row. Kasatkina saved one set point and needed four of them - added to the two from the tenth game - to eventually take advantage of two error from the Spaniard to win the tiebreak with an 11-9 scoreline.
With an early break, Kasatkina books the set and the match
The second set saw Kasatkina gaining an early advantage, and this time, she didn’t falter to keep it until the end of the set.
The Russian rising star started in full control: she easily held her first service game, and immediately put pressure on her opponent’s serve, breaking her to love right from the start; another easy hold delivered the 19-year-old an immediate 3-0 lead.
Both players found no trouble to hold their following service game.
Arruabarrena found her serve consistency again, holding to shorten the disadvantage to a 3-1 scoreline, but couldn’t win more than one point as her opponent was serving right after. The Spaniard was in full control on her following serve, playing aggressive and holding to love, but again Kasatkina didn’t falter on her own serve: with the help of two aces she held right away as well, to secure a 5-2 lead and the chance to serve out the match.
Another solid hold to 15 hadn’t been enough for Arruabarrena; avoiding the same mistakes of the first set, Kasatkina served aggressively to eventually win the match on her first match point, with a final 7-6(9), 6-3 scoreline.
Aside from the ones in the second game, which cost the Spaniard the match, none of the players dropped a single break point during the second set, showing all the consistency on serve that they lacked in the first one. Both players also showed good statistics on their first serve during the set; the Russian especially, as she won all the points she played with her first serve.
Daria Kasatkina is reaching the third round on her debut run at Wimbledon. She will meet eight seed and five-times champion Venus Williams in the next match. With Venus, who is 17 years her senior, it will be the second career meeting. The Russian won the previous one, this year in Auckland, rallying back from one set down to win the match in three sets.