Tennis News: In Adelaide, Qualifiers Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Anna Kalinskaya Achieve Surprise Victories

At the Adelaide International tennis tournament, qualifiers Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Anna Kalinskaya secured unexpected victories against higher-ranked opponents in the first round. The tournament serves as a precursor to the Australian Open, taking place from January 14-28, 2021.

Pavlyuchenkova, the finalist of the 2021 French Open, defeated the fifth seed, Beatriz Haddad Maia, with a score of 6-3, 6-4. The Russian player acknowledged the fighting spirit of her Brazilian opponent, noting, “I knew I had to be 200 percent against her, and I’m happy it worked.” Pavlyuchenkova’s performance was marked by 26 winners, significantly more than Haddad Maia’s 13.

Kalinskaya, after a grueling match lasting nearly three hours, emerged victorious against the fourth seed, Barbora Krejcikova, with scores of 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. Despite Krejcikova taking an early lead in the third set, Kalinskaya made an impressive comeback, eventually winning on her third match point.

Kalinskaya, reflecting on her win, praised Krejcikova’s skills, saying, “She plays incredible tennis, she knows how to hit every shot, she made the match very complicated.”

In another match, Marta Kostyuk triumphed over Anhelina Kalinina in an all-Ukrainian matchup, with a final score of 7-6(3), 6-1.