Watch: Frustrated Daria Kasatkina complains to chair umpire about repeated disturbances caused by loudspeakers at Cincinnati Open
Daria Kasatkina expressed her vexation to the chair umpire, highlighting the ongoing noise disturbances caused by loudspeakers in Cincinnati.
The Russian is putting in the hard yards to find her best form at the upcoming US Open Championships. She was recently seen competing at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Kasatkina, visibly frustrated during her third-round clash against Aryna Sabalenka, addressed the chair umpire regarding the ongoing disruptions caused by loudspeakers in Cincinnati.
Kasatkina's grievances found immediate resonance among tennis enthusiasts and analysts, with players notably struggling to maintain focus during pivotal junctures in the match.
The score was level at 3-3 in the second set as the 14th seed trailed Sabalenka, who had secured the opening set 6-3. Despite voicing her concerns to the match referee, Kasatkina was unable to retain her serve and ultimately succumbed in straight sets to the Belarusian.
Former World No. 2 Alexander Zverev also expressed his discontent with the loudspeaker interruptions during matches at the Western and Southern Open.
During his second-round clash against Yoshihito Nishioka, the German was heard ranting to the chair umpire and looked visibly frustrated at hearing loud music from other courts while trying to serve.
"It’s not your fault. This is ridiculous because we’re playing a Masters, we’re not playing a 250. I won this tournament, you know, it’s not like just a random tournament that we’re just playing," Alexander Zverev said.
"There’s literally music coming on break point when I was serving and on break point when he was serving. And the thing is, the distance of the music is exactly the same from that corner as from that corner,” he said.
Kasatkina also took a subtle dig at the organizers for poor scheduling at the Western and Southern Open.
She responded to a tweet made by a former tennis professional asking players not to complain about the scheduling. The Russian cheekily asked him to report to work at 3 a.m. in the morning.
"See you at work at 3am and no whining please," Daria Kasatkina said.
Daria Kasatkina appears intrigued as she witnesses Aryna Sabalenka collaborating with the staff to dry the rain-soaked courts
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Daria Kasatkina in one hour and 18 minutes in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, in the third round at the Western and Southern Open.
However, the match was interrupted by multiple rain delays. The first rain delay occurred in the opening set at 5-2, as Sabalenka quickly returned and secured the set with a service hold.
The second set began with break exchanges; however, the Belarusian once again took charge in the seventh game, capitalizing on her fourth break point for a 4-3 lead. She secured another break against Kasatkina, winning the match with five out of nine break points.
While Sabalenka took the initiative to help dry the court using a towel, Daria Kasatkina seemed puzzled by the drying machine in operation on the court.
She appeared confused as the machine moved past her. The Russian player even approached the match umpire, Kader Nouni, to inquire about the machine.
Watch the clip below: