Such dominance on the court happens very rarely – the Ukrainian simply shut her opponent out of the game
Ukrainian tennis player Angelina Kalinina has made a triumphant start in the main draw of the WTA 500 tournament in Austria. Despite losing the first set, the Ukrainian managed to turn the tide of the match and crush Panna Udvardy.
RBC-Ukraine reports this, citing the match result.
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Path to the main draw and “lucky loser” status
Angelina Kalinina’s performance in Linz began with the qualifying stage. In the first round of qualifying, she confidently dealt with German player Anna-Lena Friedsam.
Despite losing in the final qualifying round to Alexandra Sasnovich, the Ukrainian was given a chance to compete in the main draw as a “lucky loser.”
This became possible after Czech tennis player Sara Bejlek, seeded eighth, withdrew from the competition.
Match progress against Udvardy
The start of the match against the world’s 71st ranked player Panna Udvardy was challenging for the Ukrainian. The first set saw an equal battle until the score reached 5:5, but the Hungarian managed to snatch victory by winning two games in a row.
However, after that, Kalinina dominated the court. After losing the first game of the second set, Angelina delivered a phenomenal streak, winning 12 games in a row.
The second set ended with a score of 6:1, and in the decisive set, the Ukrainian secured a “bagel,” leaving her opponent with no chances in just 30 minutes of play.
Importance of the victory and next opponent
For Kalinina, this success is significant as it marks her first victory in the main draw of WTA tournaments since her appearance at Roland Garros 2025.
Prior to this moment, the Ukrainian had only recorded victories in Challenger tournaments and in the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open this season.
In the next round of the competition in Linz, Angelina will face Croatian player Donna Vekic, who previously defeated American Katie Volynets.
Also find out the positions of Ukrainian tennis players in the updated WTA rankings.
Source: rbc.ua +rel=”nofollow”
