It was billed as a battle of youth for the Volvo Car Open final, and Russia’s Daria Kasatkina defeated Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-1 to capture her first WTA title. The talented duo exhibited the skills that could make them formidable stars for years to come, but Kasatkina proved better on Charleston’s green clay.
Tracy Austin for the Tennis Channel said before the match, “These two are also the future of women’s tennis. I think that they really have great talent, and they have great drive, and you can see that they have a lot of weapons. They’re learning quickly, and very exciting times for these two young ladies.”
They were a contrast in styles with Kasatkina the tactician and more natural mover on clay. Ostapenko delivered powerful shots from the baseline, but Kasatkina gradually absorbed her pace, redirected shots for better angles and pulled away for an easy second set.
Kasatkina’s breakthrough joins the ranks of legendary winners at Charleston including Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. She also moved up 13 slots in the WTA rankings to No. 29.
This was an unexpected story for the prestigious tournament that began the week with Miami champion Johanna Konta withdrawing because of a shoulder injury. American superstars Venus Williams and Madison Keys were upset on Wednesday because of heroic efforts from Laura Siegemund and hometown favorite Shelby Rogers respectively.
In the quarterfinals, former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, was overpowered by Ostapenko and it proved instrumental in setting up the first all-teenager final in the WTA since 2009.
It’s a boost of confidence for both players heading to Europe’s clay-court season. Ostapenko has the pace for faster courts, and she showed she has the mentality to strike her best shots on clay. She certainly showed little fear at Charleston, even if her serving was unsteady in the loss.
Ostapenko was disappointed in her postgame speech, saying “I’m not very please how I played today. It was actually one of my worst matches here.”
The big winner was Kasatkina’s composure. With Charleston’s Premier-level title on her resume, she will be a legitimate threat on Europe’s slower red clay only three years removed from winning the juniors French Open. She’s particularly adept at neutralizing her opponent’s best shots with sliding footwork and slice forehands. She’s proving to be a smart attacker after patiently opening up angles on both sides of the court.
Last year Kasatkina lost in the first round at Madrid and the third rounds at Rome and Roland Garros. She sets up for bigger clay-court results and an eye on crashing the top 20.
The Volvo Open’s grand tradition was given a glimpse of the future, and Kasatkina and Ostapenko are ready for bigger triumphs ahead.