By Karolos Grohmann
PARIS (Reuters) – World number 20 Daria Kasatkina thundered past Italy’s Camila Giorgi 6-2 6-2 with a near flawless baseline game to reach the French Open quarter-finals for the second time in four years.
The Russian broke her opponent in the first and last game to cruise through the first set in just 41 minutes, and survived a wobble early in the second when Giorgi carved out two break points in a lengthy game that lasted almost eight minutes.
“Zero mistakes,” Kasatkina said when asked about her game plan. “Camila is a very aggressive player and it is really tough to play against her.”
Kasatkina made just 10 unforced errors in the match that lasted an hour and 20 minutes, compared to her opponent’s 37, while also winning all her points at the net along with 50% of her break opportunities.
“The conditions today were good and a bit slower so I had a bit more time. I could manage the important points,” she said on a sunny but chilly morning in Paris.
“At 2-1 on 40-15 (in the second set) I did a technical, tactical mistake. But I tried to be more focused. Zero mistakes, as I said.”
She next faces either Veronika Kudermetova or American Madison Keys.
“Normally I don’t (look at the draw). But now I know who is there. Kudermetova or Keys. Now it’s just one match, two opponents and it does not matter who is on the other side of the net,” said the 25-year-old.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
