Anhelina KALININA outlasts Mirra ANDREEVA in Rouen Open thriller, advances to semifinals

Anhelina Kalinina (No. 32) defeated Mirra Andreeva (No. 43) 6-4, 7-5 and advanced to the semifinals of the WTA 250 Rouen Open. The Ukrainian tennis player reaches the semifinals of a tournament for the second time this year and will face Magda Linette in search of her third career final. The former Rome Open finalist battled through a series of breaks from both sides.

The first set began in favor of Andreeva, who took an early break and then confirmed her lead with her service to go up 2-0. Anhelina Kalinina managed to hold her service game before both players embarked on an erratic streak with consecutive breaks from both sides.

It was Andreeva who faced the most difficulties, conceding four breaks in a row in the set while only managing to secure "just" three breaks, allowing Kalinina to take the set 6-4. Despite Andreeva's 83% first serve percentage, the court conditions did not seem to favor her, as she only won 38% of her service points. Kalinina, on the other hand, had a respectable 65% first serve percentage but struggled to capitalize, winning only 46% of her service points.

In the second set, they began with exchanged breaks, suggesting that the match's tone would remain the same in the second part. Kalinina appeared more secure with her service and seized the initiative on her service turns. Andreeva continued to struggle with her first serve, and although the score remained level until 2-2, it was Kalinina who gained the advantage.

Kalinina significantly improved her performance with her first serve, winning 68% of them, much higher than Andreeva's 50%. She also had a clear advantage with her second serve, with a conversion rate of 56%, compared to Andreeva's mere 43%.

In the latter part of the set, neither player could pose too many problems on the return. Kalinina broke Andreeva's serve in the sixth game, taking advantage of an erratic service game from Andreeva and leading 5-2.

Andreeva showed her usual fighting spirit, and when it seemed like a foregone conclusion, she won 12 of the next 15 points to level the score at 5-5. Despite the effort, Kalinina resisted and managed to secure a break just when a tie-break seemed inevitable, closing out the match 6-4, 7-5 after surviving a tough challenge.

In her quest for the final, she will face Polish player Magda Linette, who defeated Arantxa Rus in the quarterfinals 7-6(9), 6-1.