That means that since September, Kasatkina has beaten all four reigning major champions. She also beat Halep, now the world No. 1, in Wuhan, China, last fall.

“In the beginning it was really tough because I was really nervous going on the big stages, on the big courts against the big players,” Kasatkina said. “But now with experience, with the time, I’m getting into it.”

Next week, Kasatkina is set to become the highest-ranked Russian for the first time, at around No. 15. She is currently ranked 19th, one spot behind Svetlana Kuznetsova, and could break into the top 10 if she defeats Angelique Kerber, another former No. 1, in the quarterfinals Thursday and goes on to win the title here.

Insiders already know Kasatkina is a big-time talent, but outsiders will soon figure out that she is an entertainer as well.

“I think when people will see her regularly in the Grand Slams, they are really going to gravitate to her because her game is really atypical,” Dehaes said. “She likes the show. She likes the jump backhands, the drop shots. She plays this way naturally, but it’s festive tennis. I insist on leaving her a lot of freedom when she plays, but she has to create, has to make things happen, really like an artist. I compared it to an empty canvas a few days ago, and I said she can make whatever art on that canvas that she wants as long as it’s beautiful.”

If you have access to all the colors, it seems a pity not to make use of as many of them as you can.

“Exactly,” he said. “That’s exactly the image.”

Dehaes, a Belgian, became Kasatkina’s full-time coach late last year after she split with Vladimir Platenik, a Slovakian who coached her for three seasons.