Daria Kasatkina scored her first win representing Australia while Ajla Tomljanovic booked a third-round meeting with top seed Jessica Pegula in a winning day for the Aussies in Charleston.
Charleston, SC, United States, 3 April 2025 | Jackson Mansell
Two Australians have progressed to the final 16 in Charleston after Daria Kasatkina and Ajla Tomljanovic recorded victories on Wednesday in South Carolina.
For Kasatkina, the 6-1 6-1 triumph over world No.211 Lauren Davis was her first under the Australian flag, following the approval of her permanent residency application.
READ: Get to know Daria Kasatkina
With ‘Down Under’ by Men at Work soundtracking her post-match celebrations, the 27-year-old signed the camera ‘Aussies’ with a love heart, symbolising a moment she will forever cherish.
“I just couldn’t keep my smile from breaking through,” she said about walking on court in her first match as an Australian.
“It’s a really special moment for me to win my first match as an Australian player. I’m just really happy and couldn’t believe one day something like that would happen to me.”
https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1907467670024225135
Kasatkina, the 2017 Charleston champion and runner-up last year, needed just 63 minutes to dispatch the American wildcard. Her return game was central to her win; she claimed 80 per cent of points on Davis’ first serve.
The world No.12 will face Australian Open 2020 champion Sofia Kenin in the third round, where she was later joined by Tomljanovic.
Tomljanovic upstaged 16th seed Peyton Stearns, winning 6-1 6-4 to reach the last 16 in Charleston for the first time since 2021.
https://twitter.com/CharlestonOpen/status/1907548347595907237
In a tight contest, 87th-ranked Tomljanovic capitalised early on the American’s serve, breaking in all three of Stearns’ service games in the opening set.
The 31-year-old meets No.1 seed Jessica Pegula in the next round as she aims to continue her surge up the rankings.
In the WTA live rankings, Tomljanovic is inside the top 80 for the first time since August 2023 following Wednesday’s win.
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