Daria Kasatkina opened 2025 ranked No.9 in the world — a position she had spent years chiselling her way toward. A ranking earned through guile, patience, problem-solving and an uncanny ability to make elite hitters play her match instead of theirs. But by October, the number next to her name was No.37. One of the steepest drops of any top-tier player this season, and not the kind that sneaks up on you. It happened slowly, then suddenly, then all at once.
This is Daria Kasatkina’s 2025 in full — another chapter in our WTA 2025 season review series, where nobody escapes a GPA.
A Strong Start on Paper — But the Cracks Were Already Showing
Kasatkina’s season began with a familiar mix of grit and turbulence. In Brisbane, she survived a three-set nerve-tester against Peyton Stearns before losing from a set up to Polina Kudermetova. Adelaide was steadier: routine wins over Gadecki and a teenage Emerson Jones, then a blunt 6-1 6-3 defeat to Madison Keys in the quarters.
At the Australian Open, she did what Daria Kasatkina tends to do: win matches with angles, variation and knifing forehands that land an inch inside corners. Wins over Tomova, Yafan Wang and Putintseva put her in the last 16. But Emma Navarro edged her out 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 — one of several tight losses that would become the theme of her year.
From No.9, this was not a worrying start. But it was the beginning of a pattern: good tennis, insufficient reward.
Middle East & Sunshine Swing: The Slide Begins
Abu Dhabi saw an early defeat to Ashlyn Krueger in 3 sets. Doha offered a clean early win — a 6-0, 6-0 dismantling of Polina Kudermetova that boosted every stat on her sheet — backed up by a win against Avanesyan. Jessica Pegula was too hot to handle and out she was in the Round of 16.
Dubai was worse: a flat 6-1, 6-4 defeat to Sorana Cirstea in her opener.
Indian Wells and Miami were near-carbon copies of each other. She beat Kenin in California but fell to Samsonova in three. She had Baptiste on the ropes in Miami before the American snatched the final set. Three tough matches, one win from them — not fatal, but momentum isn’t built from honourable exits.
Kasatkina was still inside the Top 12, but the current had turned.
Clay: A Spark at Roland Garros, Surrounded by Smoke
Charleston brought a painless win over Lauren Davis, then a tight defeat to Kenin. But hey, she had become Australian now!
“I am delighted to let you all know that my application for permanent residency has been accepted by the Australian Government,” she wrote. “Australia is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home. I love being in Melbourne and look forward to making my home there.
“As part of this, I am proud to announce that I will be representing my new homeland Australia, in my professional tennis career from this point onwards. Obviously, there are parts of this decision that have not been easy. I want to express my thanks and gratitude to my family, coaches and everyone who has supported me throughout my tennis journey to date. I will always have respect and fond appreciation for my roots, but I am thrilled to start this new chapter in my career and my life under the Australian flag. Thank you all for your understanding and continued support.”
Privately buzzing, but on court still a no. Madrid and Rome followed the same pattern: solid opening wins, then straight-set losses to Alexandrova and Kostyuk — matches that looked winnable on paper, but never truly were.
Strasbourg was the low point before Paris — a sharp, disjointed defeat to Raducanu in under an hour.
But Roland Garros brought the first genuine pulse of the season. Kasatkina beat Siniakova, Leolia Jeanjean and then tore through Paula Badosa 6-1, 7-5 — one of her best performances of 2025. In the fourth round, she pushed Mirra Andreeva in patches, but the teenager’s weight of shot carried the day. A second week in Paris was progress — but progress that dissolved immediately after.
Grass Season: One Long, Slow Unravelling
Kasatkina’s 2025 grass campaign was her most concerning stretch of the entire year.
Queen’s: loss to wildcard Sonay Kartal.
Berlin: loss to qualifier Wang Xinyu.
Eastbourne: loss to rising star Lulu Sun.
Wimbledon brought two wins — tight over Arango, patchy over Begu — before Samsonova snuffed her out 6-2, 6-3 in the third round.
Three wins, four losses, nothing resembling 2024. By July, she had fallen to No.18.
North America: No Rescue Coming
Montreal saw her beat Blinkova with ease, then lose a third-set tiebreak to Kostyuk.
Cincinnati offered no reprieve, with Bronzetti overpowering her in three.
The US Open was one of her better Slam showings on paper — two wins before falling to Naomi Osaka in the third round. But even that match felt symbolic: Osaka bageled her in the first, Kasatkina steadied in the second, and then Osaka reasserted full control, 6-0 4-6 6-3.
Asia: A Freefall
Seoul brought a loss to Siniakova.
Beijing was tougher: a 6-3, 6-0 hammering from Sonay Kartal, a result that radiated fatigue as much as technical struggle.
Across her final five events of 2025, Kasatkina won just two matches.
Two matches.
By October, the Top 10 felt like a different lifetime. She finished the year at No.37, courtesy of failing to defend her Ningbo title — a collapse in ranking terms and a clear warning sign in performance terms.
The Kasatkina Assessment
Kasatkina’s 2025 wasn’t a season of controversy or wild declines in level. It was a season of thin margins turning against her, match after match. A year where every missed opportunity seemed to lead directly to another.
What she didn’t lose was her identity: the craft, the vision, the ability to problem-solve under pressure. What she did lose was the sharpness that separates Top-10 staples from Top-40 survivors.
Her 2025 season was a study in erosion — slow, steady, and entirely visible.
Final Verdict: C
Kasatkina began the year at No.9 and ended it at No.37. That alone defines the grade. There were bright patches — Melbourne, Roland Garros, the odd match where everything clicked — but not enough to stem the drop. In a sense she was also a bit unlucky. When she had beaten a player she’d get that same player back wanting a revenge in one of the next tournaments. In the end it was all too much. On Instagram she stated early October:
“Truth is, I’ve hit a wall and can’t continue. I need a break. A break from the monotonous daily grind of life on the tour, the suitcases, the results, the pressure, the same faces (sorry, girls), everything that comes with this life.”.
Her 2026 task is clear: rebuild what slipped away in real time this year.
GPA: 2.3
A giant drop, but not an irreparable one — though the pressure will remain high. And with her first Australian summer as an adopted Aussie on the horizon, the scrutiny will only sharpen.
More 2025 Season Overviews You Might Enjoy
Navarro’s 2025: A Year Spent Wrestling With the Weight of the Top 10
Alexandrova 2025: The Year Ekaterina Stopped Knocking and Walked In
Jaqueline Cristian’s 2025: The Quiet Climb That Nobody Noticed Until She Was Already There