US Open star reacts after making Grand Slam historical past in first overtly homosexual match
History was made on the US Open on Saturday as Daria Kasatkina and Greet Minnen contested the primary match at a Grand Slam between two overtly homosexual gamers. It was the thirteenth seed who got here by 6-3 6-4. But Minnen was nonetheless in good spirits after the numerous assembly as she mentioned it was a “pleasure” to face Kasatkina.
Kasatkina and Minnen met within the third spherical of the US Open, with the Belgian coming by qualifying to achieve the principle draw. Their conflict was contested one one of many smaller present courts – Court 17 – nevertheless it carried large significance.
It marked the primary time at a Grand Slam match that two overtly homosexual gamers had confronted off on reverse sides of the web. And Minnen was effectively conscious of the burden that their match carried as she took to Twitter to react after shedding in straight units.
“It was a pleasure,” the world No 97 wrote alongside a rainbow emoji. It’s not the primary time that Minnen has made historical past at a Grand Slam match both. The 26-year-old was beforehand in a relationship with fellow overtly homosexual Belgian tennis participant Alison Van Uytvanck.
The pair performed doubles collectively at Wimbledon again in 2019 – the primary time an overtly homosexual couple joined forces at a Major. After the match, Van Uytvanck mentioned: “We [would like to] see more people coming forward and saying ‘It’s okay.’ I think people would have more confidence.”
And just some weeks later, Minnen and Van Uytvanck performed towards one another at a WTA Tour occasion in Karlsruhe, kissing on the web after the 29-year-old emerged victorious. While Minnen has been concerned in a number of vital moments for the LGBTQ+ group in tennis, it wasn’t till Saturday that two overtly homosexual gamers met at a Major match.
Back in 1980, Billie Jean King confronted Martina Navratilova at a Grand Slam match for the ultimate time at Wimbledon. But the match was performed a 12 months earlier than the Czech-American publicly got here out as homosexual.