Raducanu ends Kasatkina hoodoo in Strasbourg

Emma Raducanu finally overcame Daria Kasatkina on Monday, eliminating the sixth seed from the Internationaux de Strasbourg in the first round.

Raducanu had never previously taken a set off Kasatkina in three head-to-head meetings, but the wild card changed that with an impressive 6-1 6-3 success on the French clay.

Kasatkina, who switched allegiance from Russia to Australia last month, was blown away by Raducanu's aggressive return game in an opening set that lasted just 29 minutes.

Kasatkina failed to hold serve at any stage of the match, breaking Raducanu's serve once in the opener and three times in the second set.

Seven straight breaks made it a topsy-turvy second set, but Raducanu got four of those before finally producing a hold, converting her fourth match point with a deep forehand that Kasatkina could not return.

The 2021 US Open champion will face Danielle Collins in the last 16, the same stage she reached at the Italian Open last week.

Locks in her first career win over Kasatkina @EmmaRaducanu was in the zone in her @WTA_Strasbourg debut with a straight sets win! pic.twitter.com/CG6xxaQ4QZ
— wta (@WTA) May 19, 2025

Data Debrief: Raducanu preys on Kasatkina's serve

Neither player served consistently on Monday, with Raducanu posting a 64% first-serve percentage to Kasatkina's 66%.

But Raducanu's aggressive returns proved decisive, with Kasatkina only winning 36% of her first-serve points and 24% when forced into a second serve.

After winning three straight matches on clay for the first time in her career last week, Raducanu will now face 2024 Strasbourg runner-up Collins for the very first time.