Adelaide International 2: Kasatkina to face Paula Badosa in semis
What's the story
Fifth seed Daria Kasatkina stormed into the Adelaide International 2 semi-finals with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over 12th seed Petra Kvitova. Kasatkina took one hour and 32 minutes to beat the two-time Wimbledon champion and became the first semi-finalist of the tournament. Interestingly, each of the eight top-seeded players reached the tournament's quarterfinals for the first time since Stanford in 2017.
Stats
Here are the stats of the match
Kasatkina served a solitary ace compared to Kvitova's two. The latter recorded seven double faults, while her opponent registered two. Kasatkina clocked a win percentage of 70 and 44 on the first and second serves, respectively. She won five of 10 break points. The 25-year-old sealed a maximum of four games and five points in a row.
Information
H2H: Kasatkina 1-1 Kvitova
Before this match, Kasatkina and Kvitova had met only once on the WTA Tour. The latter defeated Kasatkina in Madrid in 2018 (6-4, 6-0). Kasatkina has now settled scores at the ongoing Adelaide International 2.
Clash
Kasatkina to face Paula Badosa
Kasatkina will face ninth seed Paula Badosa in the semi-finals. The latter defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia 7-6(5), 7-5 in the last-eight clash in over two hours. Interestingly, it was the first meeting between Badosa and Haddad Maia. Badosa is eyeing her first title since January 2022 when she won her third career WTA Tour title in Sydney.
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Kasatkina has a 2-1 lead over Badosa
Kasatkina has a 2-1 lead over Badosa in the WTA head-to-head series. Notably, all three matches came in 2022. The former beat Badosa in San Jose and Rome, while Badosa overcame Kasatkina en route to her Sydney title (semis).
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Badosa had attained this feat
After beating Kaia Kanepi, Badosa became one of three players with 10+ wins in the WTA-level main draw tournaments in Australia in the last two seasons, as per Opta. She joined Ashleigh Barty and Madison Keys on this list.