Aryna Sabalenka is out of the 2024 Miami Open after she was outplayed by Anhelina Kalinina in the third round of the competition.
The Belarusian had one of the most challenging weeks not only of her tennis career but also of her life when her boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, passed away in Miami.
The Belarusian later revealed that the two were no longer together at the time of the passing. Still, it was a tragic event for her, and surprisingly to many, she elected to still compete at the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami.
In the first round of the competition, she was able to outplay her good friend Paula Badosa. In the second round, she took on the 32nd-seeded Anhelina Kalinina, who proved to be better than her on the day of their match.
In the first set of the match, both players traded breaks multiple times, with Sabalenka initially leading 2-0, before losing her advantage. The Belarusian was then up 4-3, but she lost three consecutive games, losing the first set 4-6.
The world no. 2, however, was able to make a strong comeback in the second set of the match. She was much better than the Ukrainian, breaking her serve twice, and winning the second set 6-1 to force the decider in Miami.
Yet, Kalinina didn’t give up after losing the second set, and in the third set, she was the better player. The 32nd seed broke her opponent’s serve to lead 4-0 in the match, and even though Sabalenka broke back once, it didn’t mean much.
Kalinina was able to get one more break to make it 5-1, and then she served out the match, winning 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 to reach the fourth round of the 2024 Miami Open.
Up next, the Ukrainian will want to back the upset with a good showing against Yulia Putintseva.
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