Kasatkina wins Eastbourne WTA final

By AFP
June 30, 2024
Russia´s Daria Kasatkina (R) holds the winners trophy as she poses with runner up Canada´s Leylah Fernandez, after their women´s singles final tennis match at the Rothesay Eastbourne International tennis tournament in Eastbourne, southern England, on June 29, 2024. — AFP
Russia´s Daria Kasatkina (R) holds the winners trophy as she poses with runner up Canada´s Leylah Fernandez, after their women´s singles final tennis match at the Rothesay Eastbourne International tennis tournament in Eastbourne, southern England, on June 29, 2024. — AFP 

EASTBOURNE: Daria Kasatkina won her first grass-court title by defeating Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 6-4 to win the Eastbourne International on Saturday a year after losing in the final of the WTA Tour event.

In defeating former US Open finalist Fernandez, world number 14 Kasatkina won her seventh career title and first since 2022 following three previous defeats in finals this season for the 27-year-old.

“It´s been a year, but it feels like it´s been a few days since last year when I was standing here,” said Kasatkina, who beat Britain´s Emma Raducanu -- Fernandez´s conqueror in the 2021 US Open final -- on her way to Saturday´s title match at Eastbourne.