SUMMARY
- Iga Swiatek's run in the Middle East came to an end as Anna Kalinskaya knocked her out.
- At one point, she gave in to her frustrations and smashed her racket.
Iga Swiatek had hoped to continue her winning streak in Dubai, but Anna Kalinskaya proved to be too good for her. The Russian player knocked her out, booking her spot in the finals at the Dubai Championships. With Swiatek on the verge of defeat, she gave in to her frustrations and smashed her racket.
The unseeded Kalinskaya is enjoying the best run of her career. She defeated three top-ten players, including Coco Gauff and now Iga, to make it to the finals in Dubai. The qualifier won ten of the final 14 games to wrap up the match in one hour and 41 minutes.
Going into the match, Swiatek was the overwhelming favorite to win the encounter. The Pole won the WTA 1000 tournament in Qatar and was touted to win the second 1000 title of the season in quick succession. However, things did not quite go her way. She lost the opening set, and she smashed her racket in a rare display of anger.
Federer 2009 Miami semifinal vibes pic.twitter.com/CVB76OvzqE
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) February 23, 2024
Swiatek was up a break in the second set, but she lost a point to Kalinskaya in the second game of the second set. She is normally very cool-headed; therefore, her action raised a few eyebrows.
The umpire handed Swiatek a racket abuse warning for her actions. Iga’s anger surprised her fans. One user wondered what her idol, Rafael Nadal, would think of this. The Spaniard has never smashed his racket in his career. “I wonder what her hero Rafa would think of this,” they wrote.
I wonder what her hero Rafa would think of this… oops.
— giraffe (@tennis_alt) February 23, 2024
Iga Swiatek’s loss means every seeded player is now out of the tournament. This loss will hurt Iga, but she will want to move on from it quickly.
Iga Swiatek opens up following her loss to Anna Kalinskaya
The tennis season commenced last month, but it is a punishing schedule for the players. In only its second month, many are feeling the heat, including Swiatek.
Following her loss to Anna, Swiatek opened up about feeling exhausted during the match. She spoke of losing power with each passing day, and her level suffered.
Having the week of her life 🌟
Anna Kalinskaya defeats world No.1 Swiatek 6-4, 6-4 to become just the second qualifier to reach a WTA 1000 final!#DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/0hzxG49YME
— wta (@WTA) February 23, 2024
“Usually, when I tell myself what to do, I can improve my game, but today I was so out of power and tired that I just couldn’t. Day by day, it was a little bit worse,” she said.
Iga Swiatek will bounce back from this loss quickly and try to add more titles to her name. She has her eyes set on the Sunshine Doubles next. As for the winner of the match, Kalinskaya will take on Jasmine Paolini in the final.