Anna Kalinskaya is one of the WTA players to watch out for, in the 2025 season. However, it seems the World No.14 is having a hard time on the court in the new year. Last week, she failed to make an impact at the Brisbane International, as she crashed out in the first round in the singles. While she did reach the final match in doubles, with her Australian partner Priscilla Hon, the pair lost to Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider by 7-6(6), 7-5. Now, in her second event of the season, bad health seems to have taken a toll on Kalinskaya, against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in the Adelaide International.

On Tuesday, Kalinskaya faced Bencic in the first round of Adelaide International. Coming off a loss at Brisbane, the 2024 Australian Open quarterfinalist wanted to make a mark in this event. However, her hopes to make a deep run in Adelaide shattered after a possible heatstroke, and unconfirmed injury, made her withdraw from the encounter. When she decided to leave midway, Kalinskaya was already trailing 2-6, 0-1. Throughout the contest, she hardly looked in good touch. On the other hand, Bencic seemed quite comfortable with her strokes and took a lead in the first set before claiming an early advantage in the second.

After the match ended sooner than expected, Bencic shared her thoughts on Anna’s withdrawal, stating, “I wish Anna all the best. Hopefully she’s ready for Australian Open. It’s not the way I wanted to win. But I felt good out there. I want to thank everyone for the support. I heard some cheers from all of you… so thank you.” as reported by The Tennis Letter on X, dated January 7.

While she’s now out of the tournament in Adelaide, Kalinskaya will try to forget this experience quickly. She is not someone who gets bogged down with losses. It was evident after her major defeat in the doubles final at Brisbane International. Despite not winning the trophy, she and her partner were unshaken.

Anna Kalinskaya and Priscilla Hon stay unfazed despite defeat in Adelaide final

Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider proved to be better opponents on Saturday against Anna Kalinskaya and Priscilla Hon. However, Kalinskaya and her doubles partner kept the spirit up despite the loss. On social media, Hon shared a few visuals from their campaign in Brisbane. In the first two photos, fans saw the two smiling while taking on their opponents.

Hon also dropped a video, where she was seen having a funny interaction with Kalinskaya. It was something they did throughout the event. “We somehow laughed our way into the final 😅🥲🫶🏼 @brisbaneinternational.” the Aussie player wrote in the caption. The pictures and the clip clearly showed that the two were not demoralized by their loss.

Previously, Kalinskaya also shared a video from their QF clash against Chan Hao-ching and Lyudmyla Kichenok. In that hilarious clip, Hon was seen delivering most of the strokes while Kalinskaya was reduced to being a mere spectator. Admiring her partner’s on-court skills, the Russian wrote, “I’m on court just to clap 🤣.” Not to mention the two were also seen celebrating New Year’s Eve together last week. Kalinskaya sported a satin blue co-ord set with a white T-shirt. On the other hand, Hon wore a black pantsuit, paired with a same-color corset.

What are your thoughts on Anna Kalinskaya’s prospects in 2025? Do you think she will leave a lasting impression in the Australian Open? Let us know in the comments below.