Daria Kasatkina says the tournament should use the roof due to the extreme heat in Tokyo: “I think in these kind of conditions, if you have a roof, better maybe to close it. If you have these opportunities, better to use it than to make players almost die on the field.”
(VIDEO) "Better to use it than to make players almost die on the field": Kasatkina says Pan Pacific Open organizers should close roof on court
WTAThursday, 28 September 2023 at 16:33
Daria Kasatkina has called for the tournament organizers at the Toray Pan Pacific Open to close the roof at the Ariake Coliseum to help players deal with the extreme heat.
Sixth seed Kasatkina has made a strong start at the WTA 500 event in Tokyo, Japan. She came back from a set down against Marta Kostyuk to win her Round of 32 match 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The 26-year-old then went on to achieve a straight-sets victory against Greece's Despina Papamichail in the second round. However, like many of the players at the tournament, she has had to battle through extreme heat, leading her to accuse organizers of letting players "almost die" on the courts.
Kasatkina tells organizers to close the roof
Japan has been experiencing an abnormally hot autumn this year. In summer, daytime highs exceeded 38 degrees Celsius after "disaster-level" heats of 40 degrees were reported in two cities in early August. In Tokyo, 22 days topped 35 degrees and the weather has not cooled down the way it usually does in September, with temperatures of around 30 degrees expected to continue into October in the country.
In her on-court interview, Kasatkina was asked about how she was dealing with the heat and if she took any special measures to help.
"Well we cannot do much about it. We're using the ice towels, some supplements to keep yourself hydrated, but in the end you cannot fight with something you cannot control," she said.
The World No. 13 then called on the tournament organziers to close the roof in order to alleviate the intensity of the heat on court.
"I think in these kind of conditions, if you have a roof, better maybe to close it. If you have these opportunities, better to use it than to make players almost die on the field," she said.
Kasatkina will face second seed Jessica Pegula in the quarter-final of the Pan Pacific Open.
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