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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) โ Russian-born tennis player Daria Kasatkina says she 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. 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 Moscowโs invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In an Instagram post Friday, Kasatkina said she was pleased to have gained permanent residency in Australia. Tennis Australia later confirmed that she was now an Australian citizen and would represent Australia.
โI am delighted to let you all know that my application for permanent residency has been accepted by the Australian government," Kasatkina said. "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.โ
Kasatkina said in 2023 that she had fled Russia because she did not feel safe โas a gay person who opposes the war." Three years ago, Kasatkina went public with her relationship with Russian Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako and in the last two years has been living in Spain and Dubai.
During that time, she has also been a vocal critic of Russia's war with Ukraine.
Tennis Austrlaia said Saturday it had been informed that Australia had granted Kasatkina permanent residency.
โTennis Australia warmly welcomes Daria to the Australian tennis family,โ it said in a statement. โEffective immediately, Daria will compete as an Australian and we wish her all the best for her upcoming tournaments.โ
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
