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Russia’s Daria Kasatkina defects to Australia after coming out as gay and denouncing Ukraine war

Related Topics: Daria Kasatkina, Russia

Russian-born tennis player Daria Kasatkina is switching allegiances to Australia after her application for permanent residency was accepted by the Australian government.

The 27-year-old Kasatkina was a French Open semifinalist in 2022 and is currently ranked 12th in the world. The eight-time WTA singles champion’s best career ranking was eighth.

Kasatkina 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.

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A post shared by Daria Kasatkinaud83dudc2c (@kasatkina)

In an Instagram post on Friday, Kasatkina said she was pleased to have gained permanent residency in Australia.