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By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, March 20, 2021

 
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Daria Kasatkina surged through eight straight games sparking a 1-6, 6-0, 6-2 comeback conquest of Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the St. Petersburg final.

Photo credit: FormulaTX Facebook

Tennis is a teaching tool and Daria Kasatkina continues to show us perspective is a powerful force.

Blown out in the opening set, a defiant Kasatkina surged through eight straight games sparking a 1-6, 6-0, 6-2 comeback conquest of Svetlana Kuznetsova to charge into her first St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy final.

Kasatkina: Small Details Making Big Difference

It's Kasatkina's 10th win in her last 11 matches and sends her into her second final in her last three events.




The eighth-seeded Kasatkina will play for her fourth career championship when she meets Moscow-born baseliner Margarita Gasparyan in tomorrow's title match, which will crown the first Russian champion in tournament history.

In today's first all-wild card semifinal, Gasparyan fought off four set points in the tiebreaker topping former world No. 2
Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 7-6(9) to reach the biggest title match of her career a day after she upset top-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarterfinals.

Deficits aren't obstacles for Kasatkina, they're opportunities.

Today's comeback marked the third straight match Kasatkina dropped the opening set and stormed back to win the match.

Problem-solving skill and resilience are key components to the 61st-ranked Russian's resurgence. Kasatkina, who has risen to No. 46 in the live rankings, raised her record to 10-1 in her last 11 three-set matches.

The former world No. 10 went the distance three times winning her third career title at last month's Philipp Island Trophy in Melbourne.



This semifinal slate was the first time in WTA history all four semifinalists were Russian.

Contesting her 72nd career semifinal, Kuznetsova came out roaring in her first career meeting with her compatriot.

The fourth-seeded Kuznetsova cranked as forehand winner down line to break in the opening game. Reading her opponents drives, Kuznetsova flicked a clean backhand down the line that helped her break for 3-0.

Though she was extending rallies, Kasatkina couldn't find the kill shot. When Kasatkina jerked a forehand wide Kuznetsova stretched the lead to 5-1.

Slicing a forehand return, Kuznetsova anticipated an approach and punched a backhand pass down the line for set point. When Kasatkina sprayed a forehand wide Kuznetsova was one set from her first St. Petersburg final after 31 minutes.

Tennis Express

The beauty of Kasatkina's game is her skill subtly shifting spins, paces and heights of her shots and her ability to produce answers from any position on court. Stepping a little bit closer to the baseline and imparting some more topspin on her forehand, Kasatkina began to chisel away at Kuznetsova's defenses and push the veteran into the corners. 

A calm Kasatkina broke at love to start the second set and proceeded to pick Kuznetsova apart. A sweetly-struck diagona forehand set up a forehand down the line as Kasatkina scored her second straight break for 3-0. 
 

During a 14-shot rally, Kasatkina showed lightning quick court coverage and defensive determination lifting a lob to extend the point then racing up to a drop volley spinning a backhand pass down the line to break for 5-0 second set lead.




Kasatkina zapped a serve winner serving out the 25-minute second set at love.

By then, the former world No. 10 was in full flight. Kasatkina opened third set with another love break and continuously applied clever angles to confound Kuznetsova.

From left of the center stripe, Kasatkina curled a forehand into the corner for break point. Smiling at the strike, Kuznetsova oculdn't shake off its ramifications. She sailed a forehand down teh line as Kasatkina snatched a double break for 5-2 before closing another rousing comeback in one hour, 38 minutes improving to 14-4 on the season.

 

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