The Abu Dhabi Open apologized to Daria Kasatkina for an administrative mistake that listed her as a participant from Spain on the event’s draw ceremony Sunday.
The error sparked hypothesis that the Russian Kasatkina, ranked No. 11 on the planet, had switched her nationality.
Kasatkina, who’s 6-3 in matches this season and 390-220 throughout her profession, has been taking part in on the tour as a impartial athlete after Russian and Belarusian gamers have been banned from competing underneath their flags following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, for which Belarus has been used as a staging floor.
The 27-year-old’s identify subsequent to the Spanish flag through the draw for the WTA 500 occasion raised eyebrows earlier than her crew denied that she had switched allegiance. Shortly after, organizers apologized for the error.
“We sincerely apologize for the error made by one in every of our suppliers through the dwell draw, whereby an incorrect nationality was proven alongside the identify of Daria Kasatkina,” the organizers stated in a press release posted on social media. “This was fully an administrative mistake and has now been corrected.”
Kasatkina, who has not returned to Russia in additional than two years after popping out as homosexual and being one of many few Russian gamers who’ve publicly spoken out in opposition to the struggle, lives in Dubai but additionally trains in Spain.
“It’s incorrect and we will categorically deny she is switching to Spain,” Kasatkina’s crew instructed the BBC. “This carries some robust implications for Daria if the Russian authorities really feel she is making an attempt to modify — which she isn’t.”
Kasatkina is seeded third within the Abu Dhabi event, which begins Monday.
Data from Reuters was used on this report.