Anna Kalinskaya secured her first-ever French Open quarterfinal spot on Monday with a hard-fought 6-4 2-6 7-6(10-7) victory over 28th seed Anastasia Potapova in Paris. This achievement represents just the second occasion the Russian player has advanced to the quarterfinal round of a Grand Slam tournament.
Kalinskaya previously reached the Australian Open quarterfinals earlier in 2024 and will now look to surpass that accomplishment at Roland Garros. Her next opponent will be determined by the match between Frenchwoman Diane Parry and Pole Maja Chwalinska.
The French Open women’s draw remains highly competitive, with world number one Aryna Sabalenka emerging as the leading favorite after surprising early departures by defending champion Coco Gauff and four-time Paris champion Iga Swiatek.
Potapova, who eliminated defending champion Gauff in the previous round, came out aggressively and quickly established a 4-1 advantage before losing control of the opening set in dramatic fashion.
After claiming the first set, Kalinskaya faced difficulties in the second as Potapova surged to a 3-1 lead. The 22nd seed could not stop the match from extending to a decisive third set on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Potapova’s unsteady play allowed Kalinskaya to build a 4-1 advantage in the final set, but the Russian-born Austrian mounted a comeback and had the opportunity to close out the match while serving at 5-4, only to surrender her serve once more.
Following additional momentum changes, the deciding set proceeded to a match tiebreak, where Kalinskaya maintained her composure to secure victory after two hours and 49 minutes of play.
