WTA Strasbourg – Emma Raducanu vs Daria Kasatkina

WTA Strasbourg – Emma Raducanu vs Daria Kasatkina

🧠 Form & Context

Daria Kasatkina
🌋 A seasoned clay-court player and former Roland Garros semifinalist with an impressive number of quarterfinal appearances on the surface.
🧊 Surprisingly poor form in 2025—hasn’t reached a QF since January (Adelaide), and hasn’t strung together back-to-back wins since February (Doha).
⚠️ Underwhelming on clay this spring with early exits in Charleston, Madrid, and Rome—well below her standard.
🇦🇺 Now competing as an Australian, but still seeking rhythm and direction in a season that started strong but has faded fast.
💭 Confidence appears shaken during a critical stretch of the year.

Emma Raducanu
🧱 Showing significant growth on clay, recently reaching the quarterfinals in Miami and the fourth round in Rome—her best run since her breakthrough in 2021.
🎯 Carefully managing her schedule with just three events over the past two months, prioritizing recovery and preparation—an approach that seems to be working.
🚀 Her Rome campaign—featuring wins over Kudermetova and Joint—has vaulted her back into the Top 50, a big step after long injury setbacks.
🏟️ Making her Strasbourg main draw debut, but arrives with better form and momentum than Kasatkina.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Kasatkina owns a 3–0 H2H lead over Raducanu, all on hard courts and without dropping a set. However, the shift to clay evens the playing field. Kasatkina’s game of heavy topspin, defense, and variation works well on slow surfaces, but her current form is highly suspect.

Raducanu, by contrast, is trending upward. Her improved movement, focus, and point construction—especially in longer rallies—make her a live threat on clay. If she stays composed and avoids lapses in aggression, she can outlast Kasatkina in extended exchanges.

Kasatkina must rediscover her touch and confidence quickly or risk being overrun by Raducanu’s current rhythm and belief.

🔮 Prediction

While Kasatkina’s experience gives her a shot, Raducanu’s rising form and mental steadiness on clay give her the edge in what could be a turning-point win.
🧩 Prediction: Emma Raducanu in 3 sets — overcoming past defeats with renewed tactical maturity.