DRussian tennis player Darya Kassatkina is in the semifinals of the French Open. The 25-year-old won against her compatriot Veronika Kudermetowa 6: 4, 7: 6 (7: 5) in Paris on Wednesday and is thus in the last four of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career.
Kassatkina could become her country’s first winner at Roland Garros since Maria Sharapova in 2014. In July in Wimbledon she would not have been granted this success: Russian and Belarusian tennis players are excluded from playing there because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Kassatkina now challenges the world number one and clear tournament favorite Iga Swiatek. So far, the Pole has been determined to achieve her second title in Paris: The world number one and tournament winner of 2020 reached the semi-finals with her 33rd win in a row. The 21-year-old won her quarter-finals against American Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-2.
Only Serena Williams (34 successes until Wimbledon 2103) and Venus Williams (35 successes until Linz 2000) have had longer winning streaks in this century than Swiatek, who dominated the women’s tour after Ashleigh Barty retired in March.
The second semi-final is contested by the unseeded Italian Martina Trevisan and the only 18-year-old Coco Gauff from the USA. Angelique Kerber was the last German to drop out in the third round.
