History made at US Open: Kasatkina and Minnen face off in first Grand Slam match between two openly gay players

Saturday, 02 September 2023 at 17:59

History has been made in the third round of the 2023 US Open with Daria Kasatkina and Greet Minnen facing off. It is the first instance in which two openly gay players have played in a Grand Slam match.

Kasatkina, the 13th seed sits one set up on the Belgian who previously saw off Venus Williams and was dubbed as a future World No.1 by the American legend.

After comments surrounding her bisexuality, Kasatkina in 2022 clarified them saying that she was coming out as lesbian and is in a relationship with figure skater, Natalia Zabiiako. They published photos together on Instagram and the latter is also a well-known fixture of Kasatkina's YouTube vlog series.

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It has also been the topic of conversation since the Russia-Ukraine war began, with Kasatkina saying she wants to play under a rainbow flag instead of being neutral.

Also after condemning the invasion, she said she was unsure what would happen if she ever returned to Russia both due to the condemnation and her sexuality.

Minnen on the other hand has been in a relationship for a long time with fellow Belgian, Alison van Uytvanck making history at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships as the first lesbian couple to play at a Grand Slam.

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Bastien Fachan

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History at the US Open: Daria Kasatkina and Greet Minnen face off in the first-ever Grand Slam match between two openly gay players 👏 (via r/hyperballadatopos)

3:06 PM · Sep 2, 2023

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