Kalinskaya beats Raducanu to reach Washington Open final
After a strong start from both players, Kalinskaya secured the first break to lead 5–4 and served out the opening set, handing Raducanu her first dropped set of the tournament.
The two exchanged early breaks in the second set before the Russian pulled ahead once more, taking a lead that proved decisive and breaking again to seal the win.
Having denied fans a rematch of the 2021 U. Open final between Raducanu and Fernandez, Kalinskaya will now aim to capture her first WTA 500 title in Sunday's final.
"It was an interesting match. It's nice to play against Emma," world number 48 Kalinskaya said. "I'm proud of myself. I stayed aggressive and stuck to my plan."
Earlier, Fernandez came from a set down to defeat third seed Elena Rybakina 6–7(2) 7–6(3) 7–6(3) in a marathon battle marked by dominant serving from both players.
Rybakina edged a tight first set, gaining the upper hand in the tiebreak with two clutch return winners.
Fernandez dropped her serve in the opening game of the second set, but Rybakina was unable to serve out the match at 5–4, allowing the Canadian to rally and level the contest by taking the second tiebreak.
As in the opener, neither player dropped serve in the third set, but Fernandez grew in confidence and secured victory in three hours and 12 minutes to reach her first final of the season.
On the men's side, seventh seed Alex de Minaur blew hot and cold in his semi-final meeting with Corentin Moutet but was able to grind out a 6-4 6-3 win over the lucky loser.
"It wasn't pretty tennis, but I knew it was going to be a tricky match without a lot of rhythm... I had the mentality of doing whatever it took to get into the title match tomorrow," said De Minaur, who also reached the final in D.C. in 2018.
De Minaur will also return to the top 10 after reaching the final, where he will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, a 6-2 7-5 winner over Ben Shelton.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Dubai Eye
2 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
'Lucky' De Minaur saves three match points to lift Washington Open title
Alex De Minaur rallied from a set down and saved three match points to claim the Washington Open title with a 5-7 6-1 7-6(3) win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final of the ATP 500 event on Sunday. The Australian number one, who lost the 2018 final to Alexander Zverev, felt he rode his luck to secure his 10th career title and ensure he will enter the top 10 in the world rankings ahead of next month's US Open. The two 26-year-olds exchanged breaks early in the opening set before Spain's Davidovich Fokina seized control by breaking again and closed out the set with the help of some crisp forehand winners. De Minaur responded emphatically in the second set, converting two of four break-point opportunities while holding serve throughout, wrapping up the set in just over 30 minutes with an ace to level the contest. The Spaniard looked on course for his first career title when he broke to grab the lead in the decider but he failed to serve out the match at 5-3, sending a forehand long to hand the break back to seventh seed De Minaur. Davidovich Fokina's frustration mounted as the 12th seed squandered three match points on De Minaur's serve, and the Australian then capitalised on a series of unforced errors in the tiebreak to edge the contest. "I came here in 2018 and it gave me so much confidence, so I'm so happy that I was able to come back and end up winning the title," De Minaur said at the trophy presentation. "Alejandro, you're way too good not to have one of these, it's coming for sure," he added, gesturing to the trophy. "You deserved it today, I just got lucky. You are a hell of a competitor, hell of a player. No one on the tour wants to play you. And this is not the end, this is only going on for you." Davidovich Fokina recalled that he had required a wild card to play in the US capital last year and was pleased to have at least guaranteed a rise to a career high world number 19 when the rankings are updated on Monday. "He deserved the win, he was fighting every... ball, he was always pushing through my limits," Davidovich Fokina said. "We had a job to do before we started the year, to be at the middle of the year in the top 20. This week we did it, just not with the trophy. But for sure, we will keep going, pushing our limits, pushing harder."
Dubai Eye
a day ago
- Dubai Eye
Kalinskaya beats Raducanu to reach Washington Open final
Anna Kalinskaya outclassed Britain's Emma Raducanu 6–4 6–3 at the Washington Open on Saturday to advance to the final, where she will face Leylah Fernandez. After a strong start from both players, Kalinskaya secured the first break to lead 5–4 and served out the opening set, handing Raducanu her first dropped set of the tournament. The two exchanged early breaks in the second set before the Russian pulled ahead once more, taking a lead that proved decisive and breaking again to seal the win. Having denied fans a rematch of the 2021 U. Open final between Raducanu and Fernandez, Kalinskaya will now aim to capture her first WTA 500 title in Sunday's final. "It was an interesting match. It's nice to play against Emma," world number 48 Kalinskaya said. "I'm proud of myself. I stayed aggressive and stuck to my plan." Earlier, Fernandez came from a set down to defeat third seed Elena Rybakina 6–7(2) 7–6(3) 7–6(3) in a marathon battle marked by dominant serving from both players. Rybakina edged a tight first set, gaining the upper hand in the tiebreak with two clutch return winners. Fernandez dropped her serve in the opening game of the second set, but Rybakina was unable to serve out the match at 5–4, allowing the Canadian to rally and level the contest by taking the second tiebreak. As in the opener, neither player dropped serve in the third set, but Fernandez grew in confidence and secured victory in three hours and 12 minutes to reach her first final of the season. On the men's side, seventh seed Alex de Minaur blew hot and cold in his semi-final meeting with Corentin Moutet but was able to grind out a 6-4 6-3 win over the lucky loser. "It wasn't pretty tennis, but I knew it was going to be a tricky match without a lot of rhythm... I had the mentality of doing whatever it took to get into the title match tomorrow," said De Minaur, who also reached the final in D.C. in 2018. De Minaur will also return to the top 10 after reaching the final, where he will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, a 6-2 7-5 winner over Ben Shelton.
Dubai Eye
2 days ago
- Dubai Eye
Raducanu reaches semi-final of Washington Open after straight-set victory
Emma Raducanu overcame the stifling heat and beat Maria Sakkari in straight sets to advance to the semifinals of the Washington Open. She will next face Russian Anna Kalinskaya. Meanwhile, Canadian Leylah Fernandez will take on third seed Elena Rybakina in the semis of the ATP and WTA 500 event on Saturday. If Raducanu and Fernandez clear the semis, they will set up a potential rematch of the 2021 US Open final.R On the men's side, Ben Shelton beat fellow American Frances Tiafoe 7-6(2) 6-4 in an electrifying match on Friday to advance to the semifinals. Shelton blasted an ace on match point to seal the win and avenge his five-set loss to Tiafoe at last year's US Open as the 22-year-old continues to make strides in his breakout season. Hometown hero Tiafoe had the support of the energized crowd but lost momentum when he was unable to serve out the first set while up 6-5, leading to a tiebreak that Shelton dominated. The second set hinged on a marathon game at 3-3, where Shelton pocketed a break thanks to a Taifoe double fault. Shelton rode his huge lefty serve from there to grab the win and set up a semi-final meeting with either top seed Taylor Fritz or Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. "It was a tough one for sure but enjoyable nonetheless," Shelton told Tennis Channel. "I love playing against Foe. Difficult guy to play against but playing him here in the US, especially being here in D.C., it was packed, it was a great atmosphere. I couldn't be happier." Earlier, tournament lucky loser Corentin Moutet stunned Russia's Daniil Medvedev 6-1 4-6 4-6 in a wild match interrupted by an hour-long delay due to the threat of thunderstorms. Moutet, leading 5-4 in the final set when they returned to the court, was hobbled by leg cramps but completed the upset in a final game that featured three double faults by Medvedev and a frantic match point. The Frenchman fell on his back in relief after securing the victory as Medvedev threw his racket and proceeded to take out his frustration on several water bottles, drawing boos from the crowd. "That is a great way to finish the match," said world number 59 Moutet. "I was with my coach when we were up 5-4 and I said okay, I have to win the next game because my body cannot handle too much more." Moutet will face Australian seventh seed Alex de Minaur, who was a 6-4 6-4 winner over Brandon Nakashima.
