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.