Daria Kasatkina entered 2023 after a career-best season in 2022. She reached a maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open, won two titles, and qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time. Did 2023 live up to those heights? This article gives the highs and lows of Kasatkina’s season.
Daria Kasatkina 2023 Season Review
The Highs
Kasatkina’s consistency was the bedrock of her 2023 campaign. At the WTA 1000 events, she only failed to win her opening round match in one of the nine tournaments that she competed in. Her deepest run at a WTA 1000 came at the Montreal Open. The six-time WTA title winner won three straight matches to reach the quarterfinal. She came incredibly close to making the semifinal but lost 10-8 in a final-set tiebreak to 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. Two fourth-rounds were also reached on the clay courts of Madrid and Rome.
At the Grand Slam level, Kasatkina equaled her best results at Wimbledon and the US Open. She lost in the third round at SW19 to Victoria Azarenka and in the fourth round to eventual runner-up Aryna Sabalenka. The 26-year-old also performed well again at the French Open by reaching the fourth-round.
Kasatkina reached two finals in 2023. The first in Adelaide did have an element of good fortune attached to it. Kasatkina benefited from walkovers in the first round and the semifinal, although impressive wins were attained against Barbora Krejcikova and 2019 Australian Open finalist Petra Kvitova. The second final came on the grass courts of Eastbourne. Her run included victories against Caroline Garcia and Karolina Pliskova, before falling in the final 2-6 6-7 to Madison Keys.
Kasatkina’s results saw her qualify for the WTA Elite Trophy. She progressed to the semifinal after two group wins but lost out to the eventual champion, Beatriz Haddad Maia, in straight sets.
The Lows
Kasatkina will be disappointed that her consistent level throughout the year did not lead to a title. The Adelaide final was a rare poor performance from the 2018 Indian Wells Open runner-up, with Belinda Bencic demolishing Kasatkina to lift the title. She was better against Madison Keys in Eastbourne, but it was not enough. The 13-time WTA finalist also did not bring her best level in some of the semifinals and quarterfinals she reached. An example of this was an error-strewn performance in a 3-6 0-6 defeat to Barbora Krejcikova in the Zhengzhou semifinal.
Kasatkina also did not match the heights of 2022 at Grand Slam and WTA 1000 level. The semifinal at the French Open was not replicated, and neither was the semifinal reached at the Rome WTA 1000 in 2022. That will be another source of frustration for the former world No. 8.
Overall, Kasatkina’s season fell slightly short of her achievements in 2022. Nonetheless, 2023 should still be viewed as another strong one for the WTA Elite Trophy semifinalist. She finished the season with a very healthy ranking of No. 18, and continues to maximize her abilities in a manner few other players do with her gritty and battling playing style. Expect Kasatkina to perform well once again in 2024.
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran – USA TODAY Sports
