Russian-born Daria Kasatkina said she was emotional and excited to begin a fresh chapter in her career under the Australian flag at the ongoing Charleston Open after being granted permanent residency last week.
The 27-year-old has been playing on the tour as a neutral athlete after Russian and Belarusian players were banned from competing under their own flags following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, for which Belarus has been a staging ground.
"It's my first official day as an Australian player," said Kasatkina, who dipped into Australian colloquialism and referred to reporters in Charleston as "mates" on Monday.
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