Anna Kalinskaya is the first player to beat Iga Swiatek since the Australian Open. Iga had won 14 sets in a row. Absurd run for Iga. Monumental win for Anna. ❤️
Anna KALINSKAYA shocks Iga SWIATEK in sensational performance, secures spot in Dubai final
WTAFriday, 23 February 2024 at 18:13
Anna Kalinskaya achieved a stunning victory over Iga Swiatek, winning 6-4, 6-4 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The Russian player decoded her opponent's serve and displayed effective baseline play to surprise the world No. 1.
Swiatek entered the match after a good win against Qinwen Zheng (No. 7) and had won 25 of her last 26 matches. On the other hand, Kalinskaya progressed from the qualifiers, securing victories over world No. 9 Jelena Ostapenko in the round of 16 and Coco Gauff (No. 3) in the quarterfinals.
In the first set, Swiatek had a good first-serve percentage at 64%, winning 67% of those points. However, when playing with the second serve, she only managed to score 25% of the points, as Kalinskaya's return became practically unstoppable when well-positioned on the court.
Despite this, the four-times Grand Slam champion took the lead in the sixth game after five break points in her favor, establishing a 4-2 advantage in a closely contested match. Kalinskaya maintained her momentum, immediately breaking back. The Russian secured a consecutive series of games with a new break, ultimately winning the set 6-4 in 53 minutes.
In the second set, Kalinskaya led with a good first-serve percentage and again capitalized on Swiatek's second serves to take the initiative. An early break quickly propelled Kalinskaya to a 2-0 lead, and she managed to maintain the advantage throughout the set. The Russian was 5-2 ahead with a double break, holding two match points to close out the match, but couldn't convert them.
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Towards the end, there was a resurgence from the world No. 1 who, after saving match points, secured a break to bring the match to 5-4. Despite facing a break point to level at 5-5, Kalinskaya did not allow the match to extend further and ultimately secured the victory at 6-4, 6-4, ending Swiatek's winning streak, who was the recent champion at the Qatar Open.
In 2024, Kalinskaya has demonstrated a significant improvement in her tennis, reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Now, she adds a first-ever final appearance in a WTA 1000 event. In the decisive match, she will face Italian player Jasmine Paolini, who defeated Sorana Cirstea in straight sets.
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