"Still remember this moment as if it was yesterday": Daria Kasatkina still keeps praise from Serena Williams at forefront of her mind

Russian tennis star Daria Kasatkina may not have had the most enjoyable outing at this year's Australian Open, but she recently recalled a more memorable experience at the event, when she faced WTA legend Serena Williams in 2016.

Kasatkina fell in the second round to Sloane Stephens at this year's edition in Melbourne, although she did make up for it by finishing runner-up in Abu Dhabi last week. Nonetheless, the 26-year old took some time to look back on when she faced Williams during the early stage of the Russian's career, when she was just 18 tears old.

Kasatkina won her first two matches at the 2016 Australian Open with relative ease, but Williams put on a clinic and sent her home via a 6-1 6-1 thrashing in just 47 minutes. Despite being dominated by the 23-time Grand Slam champion, Kasatkina still had fond memories of their one and only encounter. She recalled Williams having kind words for her during their embrace at the net eight years ago.

"I still remember this moment as if it was yesterday," Kasatkina said. "Yeah, she said that she really liked my game, probably to play against."