Daria Kasatkina returns to Eastbourne International final, set to face Leylah Fernandez

Daria Kasatkina will play in the Eastbourne International Final for the second straight year after she rallied past Jasmine Paolini who ran out of steam in the end in her first tournament since reaching the French Open final.

Kasatkina lost to Madison Keys in last year's final and won't have to face her again with the American losing out to Leylah Fernandez earlier this week. The Russian hadn't beaten Paolini since 2019 and the pair's overall Head to Head is now 3-3. It also is the second top 10 win of the season for Kasatkina who backs up her victory over Emma Raducanu last round.

She now faces Fernandez and is aiming for her seventh career title. The 2021 US Open finalist is aiming for her third career title in her sixth final and it is her first on grass. Kasatkina on the other hand has lost her last five finals including three this year. It would be a first title since 2022 and a welcome boost ahead of Wimbledon.

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Paolini looked great during the tie sealing the opening set 6-3 going 4-2 up with a break and after a smattering of breaks, she took an important break at 5-3 and claimed the set.

Kasatkina won the second set narrowly with hardly any break point chances but the Russian took a vital one to seal the set and it saw Paolini fairly crestfallen and running out of steam. Back to back breaks for Kasatkina sealed her win basically with Paolini saving a few match points but it only prolonged the match further.

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fourth final of 2024 ✨ @DKasatkina will get another go at the #RothesayInternational trophy with her win over Paolini!

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