Kalinina breaks Top 100 after claiming biggest ITF title yet in France
Anhelina Kalinina has finally earned the reward her perseverance - and results - deserved after securing a place in the world’s Top 100.
The 24-year-old Ukrainian won the biggest title of her career to date on the ITF World Tennis Tour on Sunday after defeating Dalma Galfi 6-2 6-2 to win the title at W100 Contrexeville.
As a result, she climbed 30 places in the WTA rankings on Monday to reach a career high No. 95 - her first double-digit ranking.
Kalinina has been in prolific form this year, especially on clay, winning 27 of her 30 matches on the surface and clinching four titles – at W25 Oeiras, W60 Zagreb, W60 Montpellier and now W100 Contrexeville.
Her recent success comes off the back of the ‘opportunity’ afforded to her last year when she was selected, along with 23 other players, to receive a $25,000 Grand Slam Player Grant in 2020, financed by the Grand Slam Development Fund.
In May, Kalinina acknowledged that the grant had “allowed her to prepare for tournaments, even if the world had stopped”.
“I was able to put this money to my process, to keep going, to keep training with a fitness trainer every day,” she admitted. “You can’t just stop playing tennis and then when everything becomes normal play like you did before.”
That understanding and work ethic – coupled with the financial support to allow her to continue training right through the suspension of professional tennis – is certainly paying off for her now.
Kalinina has put herself in a position to earn a direct entry into a Grand Slam for just the second time at August’s US Open – in what will likely be just her fourth Grand Slam main draw appearance.
Elsewhere on the ITF World Tennis Tour last week, Quirine Lemoine continued her impressive form after winning her third tournament in as many weeks – and her first at W60 level in three years – after winning on home soil at W60 Amstelveen.
The 29-year-old Dutchwoman contested her first tournament in 17 months in June, and promptly went on a 14-match winning streak on home soil – taking titles at W15 Alkmaar, W25 The Hague and now W60 Amstelveen.
Lemoine, the former world No. 137, has now won 19 ITF singles titles – including her first a decade ago in Antalya.
There were also titles last week for Lulu Sun, Elizabeth Mandlik, Anastasia Tikhonova, Diane Parry and Darja Semenistaja.
Mandlik – the daughter of four-time Grand Slam champion Hana Mandlikova - continued her fine form in Tunisia, winning her second straight title at W15 Monastir, while former junior world No. 1 Parry collected her second title in three tournaments with victory at W25 Torino.
The ITF World Tennis Tour continues this week with eight women’s tournaments, headlined by three at W60 level at Vitoria-Gasteiz, Biarritz and Nur-Sultan. Follow the latest scores here.