Daria Kasatkina Sinks To 11-year Ranking Low After First-round Defeat At Madrid Open

Daria Kasatkina’s profession successful Australian colours has plummeted to a caller debased astatine nan Madrid Open aft she suffered an agonising first-round conclusion which will nonstop her tumbling to her lowest world ranking for 11 years.

On a time erstwhile each 4 Australian women collapsed retired successful nan clay-court event, Kasatkina suffered nan astir frustrating reverse, succumbing 6-3 3-6 7-6 (15-13) to qualifier and fortunate loser Daria Snigur aft being incapable to person 4 lucifer points.

Twelve months connected since transferring her allegiance to Australian tennis amid overmuch fanfare, nan 28-year-old Russian-born prima has recovered it difficult to support her champion shape amid a turbulent clip successful her life, and moreover walked distant from nan athletics astatine nan extremity of past twelvemonth admitting she was astatine “breaking point”.

Now aft suffering different hep wounded that took 2 months retired of her 2026 season, Kasatkina has returned to nan tribunal pinch 2 much defeats – and nary much achy than Wednesday’s conclusion to Ukrainian Snigur arsenic she mislaid nan longest regular third-set tiebreak successful WTA events for 8 years.

Going down 6-3 3-6 7-6 (15-13) successful nan two-hour 23-minute battle, it must person been a difficult 1 to return for Kasatkina, who had 4 lucifer points repelled and besides saved six of her ain earlier hooking a forehand wide.

The conclusion near her pinch a grounds of 4 wins and 8 losses for nan season, and having played her first lucifer arsenic an Australian past April erstwhile No 12 successful nan world and No 1 successful nan country, Kasatkina will now plummet to Australian No.5 and astatine slightest world No 83 successful nan adjacent rankings – her lowest since 2015.

She still must beryllium trying to fathom really she mislaid this remarkable, entertaining match, having served for it astatine 6-5 successful nan last group erstwhile she earned her first lucifer point.

But world No 98 Snigur, a fortunate loser playing her first profession tour-level lucifer connected clay, proved inspired successful thwarting her much knowledgeable opponent, leaving nan Aussie looking astonished erstwhile she pulled disconnected 1 unthinkable backhand walk astatine afloat agelong erstwhile match-point down astatine 7-6 successful nan breaker.

Kasatkina wasn’t nan only Australian luminary to tumble astatine nan famed Caja Magica venue, pinch nan country’s No 2 Talia Gibson, breakthrough prima of nan hard-court plaything successful nan US, uncovering nan clay overmuch much of a slog arsenic she went down 6-3 6-2 to Colombian Emiliana Arango.

World No 85 Ajla Tomljanovic mislaid to Hungary’s 117th-ranked 7-6 (9-7) 6-4, while Kim Birrell besides succumbed to Hungarian guidance successful nan style of world No.78 Panna Udvardy 4-6 1-6 6-1.

It’s now down to nan Australian men successful Madrid pinch Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin and Adam Walton each fresh for action successful nan main draw.