One of the biggest and most prestigious WTA 500 series tournaments in Russia – the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy – occurs from March 15 to 21 in St. Petersburg and has almost come to an end. Today is the last match – the final between Margarita Gasparyan and Daria Kasatkina. They will fight on indoor hard courts for the right to be called the best and the prize fund of more than 500 thousand dollars. What was their path to the finals? Let’s take a look.
Gasparyan: defeating Zvonareva in the semifinals and working on her game by herself
There were two pairs in the semifinal match: Gasparyan vs. Zvonareva and Kasatkina vs. Kuznetsova. As for the first pair, the situation was as follows.
Margarita Gasparyan, who is ranked 126 globally, beat Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 7-6 in 2 hours and 1 minute. In the second set, Gasparyan had two break points but scored four set points in the tie-break.
It’s the third time the Russian has reached a WTA tournament final, but the first time she has done so at the WTA 500 level. She has won two finals titles – in Baku and Tashkent.
Thus, the 26-year-old Margarita has already guaranteed herself a return to the top 100. But she will become the 71st or 72nd racquet in the world if she wins.
In her short interview, which the tennis player gave after the match with Vera Zvonareva, she answered whether she worked with a psychologist to develop the desired results.
“No, I haven’t worked with a psychologist. I try to work more with myself, and also Sergei Betov helps me in this. So there was no such thing as me going to a specialist. I think I have become calmer and stronger psychologically. As for my game, I’m trying to improve it, apply more slices and underspin. I try not to be as direct as before,”
the athlete said.
When asked what’s the secret of her successful progression through the main draw and what allows her to keep such “nerve” at the moment, Margarita said the following. She admitted it’s a good question, and it must be her psychological state because her eyes have lit up again, and she’s eager to win and win again. According to her, she simply enjoys every match she plays on the court.
Kasatkina about her work with a psychologist and the upcoming final
Now to speak of the second pair of semifinalists. Daria Kasatkina, the former world number ten, beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 1-6, 6-0, 6-2 to reach the final. It’s Kasatkina’s second final this season and seventh of her career. Speaking of titles, she has three.
With her performance in St. Petersburg, the Russian will return to the top 50.
Kasatkina, who has won 13 of her 17 matches this year and took her first title since 2018, was not left out and talked about her game.
“I can say we have been working on all elements – the ball approach, the rhythm, the serve, and with the psychologist as well. In tennis, it’s important to improve absolutely all aspects of the game and to improve yourself as a person.”
Besides, the Russian explained how psychology had affected her results this season.
“The fact that everyone was shouting in the stands is, on the contrary, very cool. It encourages me. It doesn’t matter if they are cheering for the opponent or me. When there is some movement in the stands, it always creates an entourage around the game. And psychologically, I have done a lot of work. All last year I was working on my head. So it’s all for a reason. Thank God I feel much more confident on the court now than I did last year here. I’m delighted with the result,”
she said.
She also shared her expectations for the final, where she will play Margarita Gasparyan.
“Well, of course, it’s a final, and I want to win. But I don’t have high expectations because the tournament has already turned out very well – I’m in the final. All that remains is to enjoy the final match.”
And on the question of how she manages to break the course of unsuccessful matches – in St. Petersburg, she had dropped 0-1 in sets three times – she answered the following. Daria said she had played tennis like this since she was a little girl, but anyway, she tries to play more aggressively. If her opponents are uncomfortable with her shots, it’s to her advantage. According to her, it also gives her confidence – knowing that her opponents are awkward with her strokes.
Kuznetsova on her defeat:
“Good tennis doesn’t come right away, so you have to keep working”
As for Kasatkina’s opponent in the ½ final, world number 39, Svetlana Kuznetsova also commented on her defeat to Daria and told how she plans to work on her game in the future.
“It was a perfect chance to get good results in St. Petersburg. That’s why I’m very disappointed. Nevertheless, life goes on, and the season goes on. I’m gaining momentum, and I’m gaining matches. Of course, it’s still a long way to my good tennis, which I would like to play. But it hardly comes at once, so you have to keep working for it. The game is there. Of course, it’s not going anywhere, and it’s all about moments. I’m gaining confidence, and I am playing better in tournaments – that’s a fact. But there’s still room for improvement,”
Svetlana said.
Conclusion
The final match of the tournament between the Russian native girls will take place today, March 21, at 16:30 Moscow time. We want to remind you that the winner of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy will be Russia’s representative for the first time in history.