At home on clay, Kalinina secures first title in 22 months in Portgual | ITF

At home on clay, Kalinina secures first title in 22 months in Portgual

Jamie Renton

26 Apr 2021

Anhelina Kalinina continued her excellent career record on clay by securing her 10th title on the surface - but first in 22 months on the ITF World Tennis Tour - at W25 Oeiras.

The 24-year-old Ukrainian defeated Korea’s Jang Su Jeong 6-4 4-6 6-4 in the final for her 11th career singles title – and 10th on clay.

Ten of her 11 career titles have come at ITF W25 tournaments, with her biggest win to date coming at a $50,000 ITF event in Sacramento six years ago.

Kalinina, who has played just five tournaments in the first four months of 2021 and is currently the world No. 164, is targeting a return to the career-best ranking of No. 107 she reached back in December 2018.

Elsewhere, Sada Nahimana climbed to a career-high No. 458 in the WTA rankings after winning her second career singles title at W15 Antalya.

The 20-year-old from Burundi, who defeated 17-year-old Ukrainian Anastasiya Konstantinovna Soboleva in the final in Turkey, also won her first professional doubles title at the same event.

Alongside Australian partner Olivia Gadecki, the pair overcame Korea’s Lee So-Ra and Japan’s Misaki Matsuda 6-3 1-6 11-9 in a tense finish.

Nahimana’s singles triumph was her first since she won her maiden professional title at W25 Lagos in October 2019.

Like Nahimana, Maria Timofeeva is also sitting at a career-high WTA ranking after the world No. 609 won her third career singles title - and first on clay - at W15 Cairo.

The 17-year-old Russian, whose previous triumphs came on hard courts at W15 Antalya in 2019 and W15 Monastir in 2020, overcame Egypt’s Sandra Samir 6-3 6-3 in the title match.

In the last of the four women’s tournaments taking place on the ITF World Tennis Tour last week, Paige Hourigan won her second title of 2021 and her fourth ITF singles title overall at W15 Monastir.

The 24-year-old from New Zealand didn’t drop a set throughout her week in Tunisia, clinching the title after beating Czech Monika Kilnarova 6-3 6-2.

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