Ex-Ukrainian tennis No.1 makes six-month comeback: How match ended
Photo: Anhelina Kalinina (Getty Images)
Ukrainian tennis player Anhelina Kalinina (WTA 155) successfully began her run at the WTA 125 hard-court tournament in Limoges, France.
WTA 125 Limoges. Round of 32
Anhelina Kalinina (Ukraine) vs Katinka Diechmann (Liechtenstein) 6:2, 6:2
Return with a route
In the opening round, Kalinina confidently defeated Katinka Diechmann (WTA 222) of Liechtenstein. The Ukrainian gave up only four games. The match lasted 1 hour and 11 minutes.
This was the second meeting between the players. Previously they faced each other in 2018 at the US Open. That time, Kalinina also emerged victorious after her opponent retired with the score tied at 1:1 in sets.
First match in six months
The match in Limoges was the Ukrainian's first since June. At that time, Kalinina was unable to finish her match at the WTA 125 tournament in Bari. She later entered the main draw of Wimbledon 2025 but also withdrew. After that she skipped all other tournaments of the 2025 season. Kalinina has not publicly explained the reason for such a long break.
In June, the tennis player was on the verge of the top 100 of the world rankings, but the break negatively impacted her position. Kalinina currently sits at No. 155.
In the round of 16, the Ukrainian will face British tennis player Sonay Kartal (WTA 69).
Good memories of Limoges
The Limoges tournament runs from December 8 to 14. This is Kalinina's third appearance at the competition in this French city.
In 2022, the Ukrainian claimed the title here. In the final, she defeated Denmark's Clara Tauson in a three-set match. As of now, it remains her only WTA-level title.
Who is Anhelina Kalinina
The 28-year-old tennis player was born in Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region. During her career, Kalinina has won 18 ITF titles and one WTA title.
Her biggest achievements came at the junior level:
- Winner of the doubles event at the 2014 Australian Open;
- Singles finalist at the 2014 junior US Open;
- Doubles finalist at the 2013 junior Wimbledon;
- Youth Olympic Games doubles champion;
- Former world No. 8 in the junior rankings.
At the professional level, her career-high WTA ranking is No. 25 (May 2023).
In 2022-2023, Kalinina was Ukraine's top-ranked female tennis player, succeeding Elina Svitolina, who was on maternity leave at the time.
