Anna Kalinskaya, the unassuming tennis player from Russia, has experienced an extraordinary week at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Her journey began with securing a spot in the tournament following her qualification round and culminated in reaching the final after defeating two formidable opponents: world No. 1 Iga Świątek and US Open champion Coco Gauff.
Kalinskaya’s semifinal victory over Świątek marked a significant milestone, making her the second-ever qualifier to advance to a WTA 1000 final. Moreover, she became only the second player to defeat Świątek in her last 26 matches. In a post-match interview with Reuters, an elated Kalinskaya shared her thoughts on the challenging encounter:
“She’s an exceptional player. I knew that if I didn’t remain calm and aggressive, she would easily outclass me,” the 25-year-old Kalinskaya stated. “My strategy was to stay focused on my game plan – staying aggressive and making her move around the court as much as possible. I’m thrilled that it worked in my favor.”
At the outset of their semifinal clash, Świątek appeared poised for victory as she seized a break and built a 4-2 advantage in the first set. Kalinskaya, however, refused to succumb and retaliated by securing consecutive breaks to take command of the match.
In the second set, Kalinskaya stormed ahead with a 5-2 lead but experienced a wobble when Świątek rescued two match points and mounted a formidable comeback, drawing level at 5-5. Despite the tension, Kalinskaya held her ground to save two break points and ultimately closed out the set with a decisive service game.
Kalinskaya’s impressive performance against Świątek was preceded by her upset victory over Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals. Her triumph over the world No. 3 player solidified her status as a formidable contender and further cemented her impressive run at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Her journey to the final builds on her breakthrough performance at the Australian Open, where she reached the quarterfinals despite starting the season ranked No. 80 in the world. This unexpected success catapulted her up the rankings, and she will now enter the top 30 for a career-high ranking as a result of her outstanding performances in Dubai.
Standing between Kalinskaya and the title is Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who is also making her debut in a WTA 1000 final. The two players are set to face off on Saturday for the coveted trophy.
