Good afternoon, I’m Adam Carey, and I’ll be helming the blog for the rest of the afternoon. I thought I’d take a break from federal politics to begin with, and post something sporty.
Barely two months after gaining permanent residency, ex-Russian Daria Kasatkina is Australia’s last remaining hope in the French Open grand slam.
Kasatkina, 28, has been playing the tennis circuit as a neutral athlete since Russian and Belarusian players were banned from competing under their national flags in 2022, following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Daria Kasatkina, pictured playing in the US last month, now represents Australia after gaining permanent residency in March. Credit: Getty Images
She has been outspoken against the invasion and spoken in defence of LGBTQ+ rights in socially conservative Russia, as this profile by The Age sports writer Scott Spits details.
Tonight she will play former compatriot Mirra Andreeva, the sixth seed, in the fourth round.
“I hate her,” Kasatkina said of her younger and higher ranked opponent before hastily adding that she was “just kidding” in a press conference in Paris on Sunday.
“No honestly, Mirra, she’s a very nice girl and an amazing player.”
Kasatkina, who gained permanent residency in March and is making her maiden grand slam appearance for Australia, is her adopted country’s last singles player standing after Alexei Popyrin, the men’s 25th seed, was eliminated last night.
Read the full article here
