Kasatkina wins second title of year in St Petersburg
Kasatkina wins second title of year in St Petersburg
SAINT PETERSBURG (AFP) - Daria Kasatkina captured her second WTA title of the season as Margarita Gasparyan retired with a back injury during the second set of Sunday s final in Saint Petersburg.
Former world number 10 Kasatkina led 6-3, 2-1 in an all-Russian final when Gasparyan was forced to quit, handing her opponent a fourth career title.
Kasatkina, 23, also won last month s Phillip Island Trophy in Melbourne, her first tournament victory since her 2018 triumph in Moscow.
Gasparyan, ranked 126th and playing on a wildcard, took a medical time out during the first set but stopped after double-faulting twice and dropping serve in the third game of the second set.
Kasatkina endured a difficult 2019 and slumped to 75th last year but will climb back into the top 50 Monday after becoming the first player to win two WTA events in 2021.
