EMPIRE Tennis Academy tennis player Daria Kasatkina whose coach is Vladimir Platenik, was successfull in the beginning of the 2015 season. 
Kasatkina is going to play three $25,000 tournaments in the cities of Plantation, Daytona Beach and Sunrise. The first one was starting on January 12 and she won six matches including qualifying (received 19 WTA points). The head coach of the EMPIRE Tennis Academy Vladimir Platenik was also there and he is satisfied with the performance of Kasatkina. "She played great her first two matches in the qualifying, especially in the match against Puchkova (former No. 32 in the WTA rankings). Then, in the second round of the main draw she met second-seeded Pfizenmaier from Germany (No. 141). I was really surprised in a good way. Darya was able to improve her game, she complied with the tactics and she won. Darya is a player who plays tennis reasonably. She is able to change the rhythm, which many players do not like. Therefore she has the potential to go forward. Of course, only time will tell what she can achieve," said Kasatkina's coach Vladimir Platenik. "It's great that I could see her to play in a couple of matches. I have an idea on what to build and what we can do better," added coach.
Kasatkina lost in the semi-final to third-seeded Sachia Vickery from USA - 6-7(4) 6-7(4). Next tournament - Daytona Beach.

Darya KASATKINA(RUS) [8] - $25,000 Tournament in Plantation

1R(Q): Jacqueline CAKO (USA) 6-2 6-3

2R(Q): Olga PUCHKOVA (RUS) 6-3 6-2

F(Q): Naomi CAVADAY (GBR) 7-5 6-2

1R: Paula Cristina Goncalves  (BRA) 6-3, 7-5

2R: Dinah PFIZENMAIER  (GER) [2] 6-3, 7-5

QF: Maria-Elena CAMERIN  (ITA)  6-0, 4-6, 6-1

SF: Sachia VICKERY (USA) [3]  6-7(4) 6-7(4)