Anhelina Kalinina hopes final run in Rome has provided "positive emotion" to Ukraine
Anhelina Kalinina reached her maiden WTA 1000 final by beating 11th seed Veronika Kudermetova in the semifinals of the Italian Open.
The Ukrainian entered the tournament seeded 30th and started with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Anna Blinkova. She then defeated Sofia Kenin and 19th seed Madison Keys to book her place in the quarterfinals.
Here, the 26-year-old came back from a set down and beat 12th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia to set up a semifinal clash against Veronika Kudermetova.
Kalinina won a tightly contested opening set 7-5 before the Russian bounced back to take the second 6-2. The World No. 47 took the third set 7-5 to book her place in the final of the Italian Open, thus reaching the title clash of a WTA 1000 tournament for the very first time in her career. It was also the 26-year-old's second singles final.
Speaking after the match, Kalinina said that she hoped she provided "tiny, small light" to her country Ukraine through her performances in light of the nation's ongoing crisis.
"I just want to say that for me, it's also really important to win every match because what Ukraine goes through. I just want to say I hope that I have given a tiny, small light, maybe some positive emotions for my country. So, I really hope that Ukraine enjoys a little bit," Kalinina said.
"I really hope that I give a small light and some positive emotions for my country" 💙💛
@angie_kalinina | #IBI23 https://t.co/q3sqdTKxmS
Kalinina's win over Kudermetova sees the head-to-head between the two tied at 1-1.
Anhelina Kalinina will take on Elena Rybakina in the Italian Open final
Anhelina Kalinina will face seventh seed Elena Rybakina in the final of the Italian Open. Rybakina booked her place in the title clash with a 6-2, 6-4 win over 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko.
This was the Kazakh's fourth final of the 2023 season, with the other three coming at the Australian Open, the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, and the Miami Open.
Kalinina and Rybakina will lock horns for the second, with the Ukrainian having won their previous fixture 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the second round of the 2022 Charleston Open.
A win for Anhelina Kalinina will see her win her maiden WTA singles title. Elena Rybakina will claim her fifth title and second at the WTA 1000 level if she comes out on top. It will also be the Kazakh's first clay-court title since 2019.