Finally a home victory?

The Australian crowd is waiting..

…patiently waiting for his new protégé, now an Australian citizen, to shine on home soil. Yet, her last victory goes back to the US Open. The former top-10 player has dropped to 40th in the rankings after a flat, empty season. What better place to restart some momentum than here? A scrappy match against Potapova, who blew hot and cold on court in Brisbane. Still, it was her first match as an Australian in Australia. She said she really enjoyed playing, and that first match could have swung either way. I still liked what she showed in her good phases, and the number of unforced errors should drastically decrease.

The conditions here in Adelaide will be a touch slower than in Brisbane and will allow Kasatkina to set up her shots properly. Variety in her game is something she knows well, and she can quickly impose her rhythm if the rally settles in. The Greek player, on her side, had a good training block in Dubai, which seems to be confirmed on court at the United Cup with a very good and long match against Raducanu. Tom Hill’s coaching looks relevant. We have two different styles here: Sakkari, aggressive in rather short rallies, and Kasatkina, who will try to impose a defensive and very varied game.