Russia’s Daria Kasatkina defects to Australia after coming out as gay and denouncing Ukraine war

Russian-born tennis player Daria Kasatkina is switching allegiances to Australia after her application for permanent residency was accepted by the Australian government. The 27-year-old Kasatkina was a French Open semifinalist in 2022 and is currently ranked 12th in the world. The eight-time WTA singles champion’s best career ranking was eighth. Kasatkina has been playing on the tour as a neutral athlete after Russian and Belarusian players were banned from competing under their own flags following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In an Instagram post on Friday, Kasatkina said she...