‘I feel the power!’ – Slam champ slayer Anhelina Kalinina ends Emma Raducanu run in Madrid
Anhelina Kalinina has now defeated three former or current Slam champions to reach the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open after ousting world number 11 Emma Raducanu in three sets.
The Ukrainian world number 37 came into the match having defeated 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and two-time Major winner Garbine Muguruza in her first two matches to face the Brit.
Now the 25-year-old can add the current champion from New York to her list of defeated opponents after moving past the teen 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
Kalinina said immediately after the win: “We both played very high quality tennis, that’s why the match was great in my opinion.”
It means Kalinina reaches the quarter-finals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time as she continues to climb the women’s rankings over the course of the clay.
Despite the loss, Raducanu could be seen smiling as she accepted applause from the Madrid crowd after her two hour battle.
It was after all only her third professional event on clay and an eighth professional match on the surface.
Whipped up a fabulous break 💯#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/VxTQg6rjho
— wta (@WTA) May 3, 2022
Just as the interviewer was about to end the conversation with Kalinina, she pulled them back to leave the crowd with one last message.
She said: “I just want to say thank you very much for all the people who came today.
“I feel the power, even in the moments when I don’t have energy I was feeling you.
“Thank you so much!”
Next up the streak of former Major champions will end as she faces world number 35 Jil Teichmann for a place in the semi-finals.
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