Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine was forced to quit due to a thigh injury when trailing the world No. 6 6-4, 1-0, and Elena Rybakina won the Italian Open as a warm-up for the French Open.
The Wimbledon winner leveled the match at 3-3 before Rybakina lost her opening service game, setting the tone for the rest of the rain-delayed match. Rybakina then closed off the opening set with a late break. After dropping the first game of the second set, Kalinina, who was competing in her first WTA 1000 final and second singles final of her career, called the trainer onto the court before leaving the match in tears.
With the win, Rybakina—the runner-up in the Australian Open—earned her second championship of the year, adding to her victory at Indian Wells, and fifth overall. On Monday, the 23-year-old Kazakh will enter the top five after winning three of her matches in Rome after her opponents retired. She also made it to the Miami final and enters Roland Garros as one of the favorites to win the year’s second major.
Elena Rybakina in 2023
Now the world no.6 (career-high), Elena played her last match on the 20th of May when she beat world no.47 Anhelina Kalinina 6-4 1-0 in the final in Rome to win her 5th career title.
This season Rybakina has managed to achieve a 30-7 match record. The Kazakhstani clinched 2 titles in 2023 in Indian Wells and Rome. Elena was the runner-up at the Australian Open and Miami.
Anhelina Kalinina in 2023
Currently ranked no.47, Kalinina played her last match on the 20th of May when she had to retire when playing against world no.6 Elena Rybakina in the final and the scoreline was 6-4 1-0 .
This year Kalinina has managed to achieve a 15-11 match record. Anhelina Kalinina’s latest run in Rome was the best achievement of her season.
Elena Rybakina and Anhelina Kalinina played each other just on 2 occasions. Their head to head is 1-1. Previously, the last time they squared off, Elena Rybakina won 6-4 1-0 ret. in the final in Rome (Internazionali BNL d’Italia) on the 20th of May 2023.
Elena Rybakina |
| Embed from Getty Images |
