Ukrainian derby drama: Kalinina and Snihur face off in WTA battle
Angelina Kalinina (photo: Getty Images)
Ukrainian tennis player Angelina Kalinina (WTA 70) secured an emotional victory over fellow Ukrainian Daria Snigur (WTA 78) in the first round of the grass-court WTA 250 tournament in Eastbourne, according to the match result.
Battle of character and a broken trend
Before this head-to-head encounter, Dariia Snihur was considered a very uncomfortable opponent for Kalinina, having won both previous matches. In particular, in January 2026, Snihur defeated Kalinina in the qualifying round in Cluj-Napoca.
Moreover, Dariia entered the Eastbourne derby in excellent form, having qualified for the main draw and even defeating star American Sofia Kenin.
However, Kalinina, who started directly in the main draw, managed to break the unfavorable trend.
The first set turned into a rollercoaster with multiple breaks of serve. Kalinina fell behind early but managed to fight back and forced a tiebreak, where she completely dominated her opponent - 7:6 (1).
The second set remained tight until the very end. The key moment came in the 11th game on Snigur’s serve: Kalinina converted her break point on the third attempt and then calmly held her own serve - 7:5.
The match lasted 1 hour and 55 minutes. Statistics showed intense competitiveness: Kalinina made 7 double faults (compared to 5 from Daria), but was more efficient on the crucial points, converting 5 out of 12 break points.
Grass-court comeback and quarterfinal chase
For Kalinina, this victory was significant - it was her first main-draw win on grass since 2024.
In addition, Angelina has now reached the second round in Eastbourne for the third time in four years and will try to repeat her best result here - reaching the quarterfinals.
In the second round, Kalinina will face a tough challenge. She will play the winner of the match between American McCartney Kessler and Australian Daria Kasatkina.
The Eastbourne tournament runs until June 27, with a total prize fund of over $283,000.
Earlier, we reported that the legendary Williams sisters will play at Wimbledon 2026.
