Anhelina Kalinina reached her first singles final since 2021 by defeating Veronika Kudermetova in a three-set semifinal match at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Kalinina, seeded 30th, emerged victorious after a grueling encounter that lasted nearly three hours, 7-5 5-7 6-2. It was her second consecutive victory against a Top 20 player, following her win over Beatriz Haddad Maia in the previous round, which was also the longest match of the season.
During the semifinal, Kalinina displayed resilience and strong shot-making. She saved eight break points in the first set and secured victory in a closely contested opener. In the second set, Kalinina held a 5-3 lead but was unable to close out the match as Kudermetova staged a comeback, winning 16 consecutive points to level the match. However, Kalinina regained control in the final set, dominating the rallies and winning 91.7 percent of her first-serve points. She secured a 4-0 lead and ultimately advanced to the final without facing a break point in the decider.
Kalinina is now one step away from claiming her first Hologic WTA Tour title. In the final, she will face Elena Rybakina, who defeated Jelena Ostapenko in the second semifinal on Friday. This will mark Kalinina’s third consecutive match against a Top 20 player.
This achievement at the WTA 1000 event is a career-best for Kalinina, who is currently ranked 47th in the world. Her impressive performance is projected to elevate her into the Top 25 when the new singles rankings are released. If she manages to win the title, she could even break into the Top 20.
Kalinina’s success makes her the second Ukrainian player to reach a WTA 1000 final since the inception of the tier in 2009. The only other Ukrainian player to achieve this feat is Elina Svitolina, a two-time champion in Rome.
