‘That’s what I practice for’: Russian qualifier Kalinskaya shocks former US Open champ Stephens
Russian tennis player Anna Kalinskaya, who paved her way to the season-ending Grand Slam through qualification, has inflicted a sensational first round defeat to the 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
The 20-year old Russian showed a solid and aggressive approach as she beat her American opponent in straight sets 6-3, 6-4.
Kalinskaya needed just one hour and 23 minutes to record her first ever Grand Slam victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday.
“I’m very happy with my win,” Kalinskaya said after the match. “I’m very happy that I played on this court and I really enjoyed the atmosphere being there.”
How fitting that it ended on a BH down the line winner🔥#Kalinskaya#USOpenpic.twitter.com/i9zNdVthdK
— Michael Renz (@mrenzaero) August 28, 2019
“That’s what I practice for: to play against big players on the big courts,” she added. “I think that’s what every player practices for.”
Stephens, who is ranked 10th in the world repeated her worst US Open result since 2015 when she also made a disappointing first-round exit.
