Kasatkina feeling the squeeze in “terrible” WTA scheduling

Weekend Abu Dhabi finalist Daria Kasatkina will have to step up the pace inorder to reach a poorly scheduled start on Monday at next week’s WTA event in Qatar.

The No. 14 reached Sunday’s final in the UAE capital with a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (2) defeat of Brazil’s Haddad Maia and vies for the trophy against 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina.

Though the 600-km distance between the pair of Gulf cities requires a modest  two-hour flight, Kasatkina is not pleased about being handed back-to-back matches in a clumsy move by Doha organisers.

“I don’t know how you can schedule the finals of the tournament on Sunday, wanting to finish the next tournament on Saturday, so you start it on Sunday,” she said.

“If you don’t (like me) have a bye in Doha, I have to play on Monday. And I play finals tomorrow (Sunday) at 5pm.

January’s Adelaide finalist sent out a plea for her Qatar match to be postponed by a day in the interests of fairness.

“I have a question to WTA or the tournaments: like, are you guys trying to make players die, or to get injured often?” she queried rhetorically.

“I might have to fly Monday and step on the court the same day, after playing five matches here at the highest level. So I’m sorry but that’s something we have to talk about and consider – I’m not crying.”

Kasatkina won the last of her six career titles in 2022.