Daria Kasatkina’s the champion at the Silicon Valley Classic. On Sunday, Kasatkina came from a set down to pip Shelby Rogers in the final, 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-2 after two hours and 32 minutes of play. This is the fifth title of the 25-year-old’s career, coming after she won the St. Petersburg Open in March 2021.
Kasatkina led Rogers across all three sets in the match. However, unlike in the latter two sets where she was able to hold on to her lead right till the end, the opening set got away from her even as she tried to serve for it. In the opening set tie-break, Rogers’ dominance helped her take the lead in the match.
Silicon Valley Classic: Daria Kasatkina crowned champion
The seventh seed lost her serve twice in the match and both times were in the opening set. Across the latter two sets, Kasatkina didn’t face any break point while converting four breaks on the American’s serve. For the match, Kasatkina had 24 winners, three more than Rogers’ 27. She also had seven fewer unforced errors than the latter’s 39 which helped make a difference in the outcome of the match. Lastly, except for the opening set in which Kasatkina’s first-serve points hovered around 64%, the second and third sets saw her win 84% and 92% points respectively.
The Silicon Valley Classic title’s Daria Kasatkina’s first title in San Jose. It’s also her first title this year, coming in what was her first final of the season. Last year, she had reached the final here, at this venue, but had gone to lose the title to another American, Danielle Collins. Overall, Kasatkina’s now five of the 10 finals she’s contested. Meanwhile, for Shelby Rogers, the wait for her maiden career title continues. The 29-year-old’s now lost all three finals she’s played.
Photo Credit: Silicon Valley Classic Twitter