Tennis is known to push even the most composed of players to their limits. No matter how calm they usually are, the intensity of the moment can bring out raw emotions. Such a scene unfolded at the ongoing Ningbo Open, where Anna Kalinskaya, Jannik Sinner’s girlfriend, found herself battling not only her opponent but also her own frustrations. Kalinskaya, who’s been making strides on the court lately, couldn’t hold back her emotions after a tough match.

The Russian tennis sensation took on Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals of the tournament. While she made a strong start to the match and won the first set, she could not convert it into a dominant victory and lost the clash in three sets (6-2, 2-6, 3-6). This defeat cracked the star, as she could not control her tears. 

In a video that is going viral on Instagram, Kalinskaya is seen crying while sitting on her chair after the match. She was continuously wiping her face with the towel as tears kept rolling out. And why not? Look how she struggled in the match.

Anna Kalinskaya could not fire a single ace against her opponent. Besides, she ended up making 13 double faults which were limited only to 2 from Muchova. She even struggled to convert the breakpoints in the match and consequently got frustrated by her performance, which also added to the reason behind her loss of grip towards the end of the match. And Kalinskaya’s outburst of emotions may be a result of a buildup of heartbreaking losses she has faced this season. 

While the Russian star has made some good progress in the ranking table, she has failed to win a single title this season. The world no. 12 advanced to the finals of the Dubai Open and the Berlin Grass Court championship but suffered heartbreaking losses there as well against Jasmine Paolini and Jessica Pegula respectively.

Her performances at the Grand Slam tournaments were equally wonky, with her best coming in the Australian Open this year where she advanced to the quarterfinals. It is probably due to these challenges that the frustration of the player has become evident time and again on the courts. Take the example of this year’s Wimbledon, when the Russian cried once again.

The incident took place during Kalinskaya’s 4th round match against Elena Rybakina. Kalinskaya has started strongly against Rybakina, breaking the latter’s serve in the opening game and holding her own serve confidently to gain a three-game lead. Unfortunately, her physical condition did not allow her to continue.

Kalinskaya was forced to retire while trailing 3-0 in the second set of the match. This happened after the No. 17 seed had once again paused the match earlier in the first set for a medical timeout.

Kalinskaya was treated by her physio during that opening set. She worked for several minutes with exercises that targeted her right arm, her wrist, and her shoulders, before restarting play from 3-4 behind. However, within minutes of restarting her campaign, she spoke to the chair umpire to wrap up the match early.

Sitting in her chair and collecting her thoughts before walking off the court, Kalinskaya appeared visibly emotional. After making the difficult decision to hand the match to her opponent, she was seen drying her eyes on her towel. Meanwhile, Sinner was there in the audience with clear signs of worry on his face. Looking at all these, you might feel like Kalinskaya is a soft-natured soul. Wrong. On one more occasion, the 25-year-old had unfurled the other extreme of emotional outburst.

When Anna Kalinskaya displayed a rare side at the China Open

Anna Kalinskaya is known for her calm and stoic gestures on the court. But this trait of hers took a backseat during the China Open when the Russian played against Hailey Baptiste in the second round. While Kalinskaya advanced further to the next rounds, her victory did not come easily.

She had to fight hard to oust her American counterpart in a three-set match, which she won 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(5). These struggles forced the star player to depict an unusual side of her trait. 

The Russian player lost a crucial point in the third set when it was tied at 5-5. She shot the ball so strongly that it ended up landing outside the court. Furious, Kalinskaya was seen smashing her racquet against the ground several times before tossing it up in the air.

Worse yet, it did not end there. With her opponent gaining a lead, Kalinskaya failed to deuce the point again and lost it to Baptiste’s witty gameplay. This further agitated the player, as she threw her racquet in the direction of her chair as Baptiste led the set 6-5.

As the season evolves, it would be crucial to see if Kalinskaya can overcome her challenges and end the year with a title victory. All the best Kalinskaya!