Rising Star Anna Kalinskaya, Upsets Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Surging Emergence
FCI Staff Writer Sacramento 
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March 5, 2024,
What is your angle?
If you are a professional female tennis player, locked in competition against Anna Kalinskaya, it had better be a great one, because when Anna hits her hard flat ground strokes from corner to corner, her angles are incredible.
In fact, given her recent results, Anna is beyond incredible.
Getting to the mighty US Open is an incredible feat. Making it into the second round is something to be proud of. Greater results should come but this is a good start.
How much do you know about Anna because she is starting to make some big noise on the tennis courts?
Time for a meet and greet.
Anna is a Russian professional tennis player.
Ranked by the WTA, she reached a career-high of No. 24 in singles in February 2024, and No. 49 in doubles in February 2023.
She is quickly moving up.
On the WTA Tour, she has won three doubles titles. She also has won one singles title on the WTA Challenger Tour, and seven singles and nine doubles titles on the ITF Women’s Circuit.
Drum roll please.
Her best singles performance at a major is reaching the quarterfinals at the 2024 Australian Open.
We watched the matches and video highlights and it was an amazing run.
While some toil for years in the provinces, Anna began to make a splash and gain attention very early.
She began her career at age 17 by winning the Grand Slam girls’ doubles title at the 2016 Australian Open, alongside Tereza Mihalíková.
Previously, she made the finals on the 2015 French Open in the girls’ singles event. She also made the finals of the 2015 US Open in the doubles event with compatriot Anastasia Potapova.
Next is a big one.
In 2019 at the US Open, she defeated former champion Sloane Stephens, for her first major win.
Then, another big step.
In 2022, she won her biggest doubles title with Caty McNally at the WTA 500 St. Petersburg Ladies’ Trophy.
Time for a little history.
Beginning in 2018, Anna often switched between the ITF and the WTA Tours during the year.
Very wise and very strategic.
It eventually paid off.
She made the main draw of the US Open for the first time in her career. Tennis fans took notice. In the first round, she was defeated by the world’s then No. 9, German player Julia Görges, but it took a three set battle to do it.
Anna is starting to pay her dues.
Baby steps. Inch by inch.
In 2019 Anna started the year with a triumph at the $25k Playford International, defeating Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina in the final. Her victories continued with three more, first qualifying for the Australian Open. As a result, she advanced to the main draw.
On February 22, 2021 she reached a career-high doubles ranking of 69.
It was in 2022 when Anna began to make her move.
Her first Grand Slam main-draw appearance of the year was at the French Open. Being in the top 100, she secured an automatic place in the main draw. Hard work and good results has positive outcomes.
Following a second round showing at the US Open, she reached a new career-high ranking of No. 51 on September 12, 2022.
At the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open, she defeated Czech ninth seed Barbora Krejčíková, marking her third top-20 win of the season. She then defeated Belgian Elise Mertens, and seventh seed Russian player Daria Kasatkina, her fourth top-20 win, to reach the quarterfinals for the first time at this level.
Which now brings us to 2024 and there is much to talk about.
At the 2024 Australian Open, Anna defeated Katie Volynets, Arantxa Rus and American star Sloane Stephens to reach the fourth round, having never previously been past the second round of a Grand Slam.
Making the fourth round at a Grand Slam shows you are a serious future title contender.
Next, she defeated 26th seed Jasmine Paolini in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in her career.
As a result, she reached the top 50 in the rankings.
Anna continues to ascend.
At the WTA 1000 Dubai Championships, as a qualifier, she defeated fellow qualifier Storm Hunter and lucky loser Cristina Bucșa. Next, she defeated three former Grand Slam champions Jeļena Ostapenko, Coco Gauff, her first top-5 win, in straight sets and in three sets respectively and then upset world No. 1, Iga Świątek, by winning in straight sets in the semifinals.
That was amazing. Big leagues amazing.
She became only the second qualifier to reach a WTA 1000 final since Caroline Garcia at the 2022 Cincinnati Open.
As a result, she moved into the top 25 in the rankings.
The media is taking notice.
This was a best ever win for Anna.
Who was the giant she fell?
The 2023 US Open champion in Coco Gauff, currently ranked number three in the world.
On February 22, 2024, at olympics.com they shared, “The 25-year-old, ranked 40th in the world, had never beaten a Top 5 player, but moved to 3-0 on the season against the Top 10 with her 2-6 6-4 6-2 triumph over the reigning US Open tennis champion in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Championships.”
Best over. Wonderful description and yet, there is more.
At the informative tennis source tennis.com, on February 23, 2024, they reported, “Anna Kalinskaya snapped Iga Swiatek’s seven-match winning streak in shocking style at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, scoring the biggest win of her career, 6-4, 6-4 to reach her first WTA 1000 final.”
Very impressive.
With recent victories over Coco Gauff and the world’s number one in Iga Swiatek, Anna has proven she can defeat anyone in the world. Even during the same tournament.
The professional female tennis world is now on notice. Another great challenger is on the horizon and is set to soar in 2024.
Anna Kalinskaya.
We suggest you remember the name.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Kalinskaya
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