👋 Welcome back to The Daily Theory, our morning rundown to help you stay on top of your favorite sport. I’m Allen McDuffee, your guide to all things tennis.

On tap today, we’ve got: Daria Kasatkina adjusts to playing for Australia, Jasmine Paolini moves on from her coach of the year, Madison Keys takes on Caroline Dolehide, plus more in tennis news today.

Let’s tennis!

Three Points

🎾 A welcome adjustment: Daria Kasatkina arrived in Charleston representing Australia at a tournament for the first time since announcing her new permanent resident status last week. The openly gay player has been critical of her birth nation of Russia regarding the invasion of Ukraine. That bravery has come at a cost. Russia has classified her as a “foreign agent,” or somebody acting against Russian interests, which has kept her from returning home for more than two years.

  • What she said: “It’s my first official day as an Australian player. Honestly, it feels different, I’m not going to lie. It’s emotional for me...I have to get used to it. But I’m really happy to start this new chapter of my life representing Australia on the big stage...With everything going on in my previous country, I didn’t have much choice,” she told reporters on Monday. “For me, being openly gay, if I want to be myself, I have to make this step, and I did it.”

🎾 Moving on: On Monday, Jasmine Paolini announced the split with her coach of ten years, Renzo Furlan. Furlan had been coaching Paolini full-time since 2020 and was voted the top WTA coach last year for his role in helping Paolini reach number four in the rankings and two major finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

  • What she said: “Renzo has been such an important part of my growth, both as a player and as a person,” Paolini posted on Instagram about the former ATP world number 19. “Everything I’ve learned from him will stay with me and continue to guide me in this new chapter, he’ll always be an important person in my life.”

🎾 A strong return game: Caty McNally, battling back from injury and a current ranking of 397, had an emotional first-round win over Anhelina Kalinina. Down 4-1 in the third set, she reeled off five straight games to take the match — her first win over a top 100 opponent since June 2023. When it was over, she collapsed on the court and tears welled in her eyes. In her on-court interview, she said she wasn’t sure if she would be able to play tennis again after elbow surgery that took her out of action for six months. But she is playing, and she is climbing. Next up: Anna Kalinskaya.