Kasatkina's Madrid Exit Sees Ranking Plunge to Lowest Since 2015

Daria Kasatkina lost her opening match at the Madrid Open, a result that will see her world ranking drop to its lowest point since 2015. The loss contributed to a series of first-round defeats for Australian women at the tournament. These results follow earlier tournament outcomes for Australian players at the Brisbane International.

Madrid Open Results

Daria Kasatkina was defeated by qualifier Daria Snigur in the first round of the Madrid Open. The match concluded with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (15-13) after two hours and 23 minutes.

Kasatkina held four match points during the third-set tiebreak, which she did not convert. The tiebreak score of 15-13 is reported to be the longest regular third-set tiebreak in a WTA event in eight years.

As a result of the loss, Kasatkina's projected ranking is set to fall to at least No. 83. This will be her lowest ranking since 2015 and will make her the fifth-highest ranked Australian player. Her season record now stands at four wins and eight losses.

Kasatkina, 28, began representing Australia in April 2024, at which time she was ranked world No. 12. She missed two months of the 2026 season due to a hip injury.

All four Australian women competing in the Madrid Open main draw lost their first-round matches:

• Talia Gibson lost to Emiliana Arango, 6-3, 6-2.
• Ajla Tomljanović lost to Dalma Gálfi, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4.
• Kim Birrell lost to Panna Udvardy, 4-6, 1-6, 6-1.

Three Australian men—Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, and Adam Walton—are scheduled to compete in the main draw.

Brisbane International Recap

The Brisbane International, held earlier in the season, featured several matches involving Australian competitors:

• Daria Kasatkina was defeated by Anastasia Potapova in a three-set match (7-5, 4-6, 6-4). Kasatkina recorded sixteen double faults during the match. This was her first match in Australia since changing her nationality representation from Russia to Australia in March.
• Ajla Tomljanović initially advanced by defeating France's Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 6-3. She was later eliminated in the next round by Karolína Muchová of Czechia. Muchová, a 2023 French Open finalist, won the match 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) in two hours and 38 minutes. Tomljanović broke serve in the third set but subsequently lost four consecutive games before forcing a tiebreak.
• In the men's draw, Rinky Hijikata was the sole Australian player to advance to the second round, defeating fellow Australian Adam Walton 6-3, 6-2.

In later rounds at the Brisbane International:

• Aryna Sabalenka defeated Madison Keys 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the semifinals, where she was scheduled to play Karolína Muchová. Sabalenka stated she aimed to focus on the current match rather than past events.
• Karolína Muchová secured her semifinal spot by defeating third seed Elena Rybakina 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
• Other women's quarterfinal results included Jessica Pegula beating Liudmila Samsonova and Marta Kostyuk defeating Mirra Andreeva.
• In the men's quarterfinals, Aleksandar Kovacevic, Brandon Nakashima, and Alex Michelsen advanced. Michelsen is scheduled to compete against top seed Daniil Medvedev.