Russian qualifier Anna Kalinskaya stunned world No. 1 Iga Swiatek by 6-4, 6-4 on Friday, continuing her incredible run at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
After trailing 4-2 and needing a break, Kalinskaya fought back to force several mistakes from Swiatek with her aggressive hitting in the opening set, which the 25-year-old won in just under an hour.
At one point, an angry Swiatek tossed her racket to the ground. Kalinskaya then took a 2-0 lead, and she survived some late pressure to seal the game and end the Doha champion’s seven-match winning streak.
Kalinskaya said on court about Swiatek after the match: “She’s a great player. I knew if I didn’t stay calm and I didn’t stay aggressive, she was going to destroy me. That was my plan: to stay aggressive and move her a lot. I’m happy I won. She’s unbelievable, and I’m happy I had the chance to play her. I’m sure we’ll play a lot in the future.”
Iga Swiatek in 2024
Ranked world no.1, Swiatek played her last match on the 23rd of February when she capitulated to world no.40 Anna Kalinskaya 6-4 6-4 in the semifinal in Dubai (draw).
Until now, during this year the Pole achieved a composed 14-2 match record. The Pole clinched 2 titles in 2024 in Australia and Doha.
Kalinskaya in Dubai, ranking, and results in 2024
Ranked no.40, Anna owns an overall 15-4 record in 2024. Kalinskaya is participating in Dubai where she conquered the world no.93 Rebeka Masarova 6-4 6-3, the world no.98 Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2 6-2
, the world no.128 Storm Hunter 6-1 6-2, the world no.67 Cristina Bucsa 6-3 6-4, the world no.9 Jelena Ostapenko 6-4 7-5, the world no.3 Cori Gauff 2-6 6-4 6-2 and the world no.1 Iga Swiatek 6-4 6-4.Anna Kalinskaya will compete against the world no.26 Jasmine Paolini in the final. Their current head to head is 1-1.
Kalinskaya is scheduled to play next in San Diego (San Diego Open). She will start from the main draw that will commence on the 26th of February.
Iga Swiatek and Anna Kalinskaya clashed against each other only on 1 occasion. Their actual record is 1-0 for Kalinskaya. When they played, Anna Kalinskaya won 6-4 6-4 in the semifinal in Dubai (Dubai Duty Free Championships) on the 23rd of February 2024.
You can watch the highlights in the following video.
Iga Swiatek and Anna Kalinskaya |
| Embed from Getty Images |