“Thankful to them for believing in me when I was nothing, and I had nothing,” said Yuliia Starodubtseva after a China Open win that can only be termed as shocking. Currently, World No. 15, the 24-year-old pulled off the biggest upset of her career over World No. 14 Anna Kalinskaya (7-5, 6-0), to reach her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal. However, the reasons for celebrating didn’t end there—this was the Ukrainian’s first Top-20 win and she became the seventh player since 2009 to make the last eight in her first WTA 100o. On the contrary, it was only a day of heartbreak for her opponent.

Anna Kalinskaya’s journey at the China Open has come to an end, leaving her fans wondering what’s next for the Russian star. Once again, she struggled to make a deep impact, exiting the tournament in a way that raised questions about her current form and what her next move would be. But if there’s one thing that hasn’t wavered—Kalinskaya’s spirit. Despite the heartbreak of another tough loss, the Russia star is far from backing down. Instead of retreating into disappointment, she’s taking a moment to show gratitude to those who matter most—her fans.

Taking to Instagram, Kalinskaya shared some pictures of herself from the tournament. Captioning the post, the star player wrote, “Thank you @chinaopen fans till next year”, demonstrating her motivation to come back stronger. She also shared an Instagram story, highlighting all the gifts she received from her fans at the venue. “Chinese fans thank you”, she wrote, expressing her thankfulness to her admirers. Nonetheless, Kalinskaya’s love for her fans is not something new.

The 25-year-old had the same demeanour after after her unsuccessful US Open campaign, where she was ousted in the third round. She took to her Instagram and shared a couple of pictures, which included a photograph of her doubles partnership with Katie Boulter as the two can be seen celebrating together. Captioning the post, Kalinskaya wrote, “NYC thank you for the experience next time I come back stronger 🇺🇸.” Interestingly, besides Kalinskaya, her beau also faced a similar fate at the China Open. 

Despite his sensational victories on the hard courts of the American Swing, where he also clinched the Grand Slam title, Jannik Sinner faced a heartbreaking result at the China Open. He struggled against Carlos Alcaraz and was defeated in a close match on Wednesday, October 2. Coming back to Kalinskaya, her latest campaign was filled with surprises, with the fans witnessing some rare side of her trait. 

When Anna Kalinskaya displayed her rare side at the China Open

Anna Kalinskaya has always depicted an immensely calm attitude on the courts and is known for her composure. However, in the latest China Open campaign, she was seen visibly frustrated and engaged in gestures that widely surprised the tennis community and highlighted a very rare trait of her character.

Playing against American star Hailey Baptiste in her first match, the Russian player lost a crucial point in the third set when it was tied at 5-5. She shot the ball with a little too much power and ended up landing outside the court. This agitated the star player, who smashed the racquet against the ground several times before tossing it up in the air. 

With her opponent gaining a lead, Kalinskaya failed to deuce the point again and lost it to Baptiste’s witty gameplay. This further fumed the player, as she was spotted throwing her racquet in the direction of her chair after Baptiste led the set 6-5. For now, it would be interesting to see if Kalinskaya can overcome the heartbreaks she has been witnessing and win significantly in the remaining tournaments of the season.