Amid the ongoing impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, many Russian tennis players switched nationalities in late 2025 and early 2026. For a long time, their performances often fell short of expectations, raising doubts among fans. However, last week brought a turnaround for two players who had made such a switch.
Austria’s Potapova, who entered the Madrid Open main draw as a lucky loser, stormed into the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career. Meanwhile, Australia’s Daria Kasatkina secured her first title since changing nationality, triumphing at the WTA 125 L’Open de Cagnes-sur-Mer (note: the tournament name was given as “WTA125拉维斯瓦尔-登波尔达挑战赛” in the source; for English, it’s likely the WTA 125 event in Cagnes-sur-Mer or similar; I’ll keep the generic “WTA 125 tournament in La Bisbal d’Empordà”? Actually, the original Chinese says “WTA125拉维斯瓦尔-登波尔达挑战赛”. That’s likely the WTA 125 tournament in La Bisbal d’Empordà, Spain. I’ll use “WTA 125 La Bisbal d’Empordà” for accuracy).
Kasatkina, a former French Open semifinalist in 2022 and a finalist at a WTA 1000 event, has won eight career titles. But after switching to Australia, she struggled, recording only one winning streak before last week, leading to a slide in her ranking. Entering the WTA 125 La Bisbal d’Empordà Challenger on a wildcard, she fought through tough matches to claim the trophy.
In the first round, Kasatkina needed three sets to beat Colombia’s Arango, a former WTA 500 finalist. Chinese top seed Wang Xinyu swept past Spain’s Quevedo to advance. 
In the second round, Kasatkina dominated Brazil’s qualifier Pigossi, losing just four games. Wang Xinyu, however, fell in three sets to Russia’s Charaeva, a lower-ranked opponent.
In the quarterfinals, Kasatkina faced Charaeva, her former compatriot, and dropped the first set 4-6. She roared back with a 6-0 bagel in the second set and edged the decider 6-4 to advance. 
The semifinal saw Kasatkina overpower Spain’s wildcard Sorribes Tormo 6-2, 6-0. In the final against Germany’s Korpatsch, she again lost the first set but rallied to win in three sets, securing her fifth consecutive victory and her first title of the 2026 season. The win also boosted her world ranking.
This victory marks a significant rebound for Kasatkina, proving her resilience on the tour.