Anhelina Kalinina was born on February 7, 1997, in Nova Kakhovka, Ukraine. Both her parents were tennis coaches, and she also has a brother. As a junior, she reached the final of the US Open, losing to Marie Bouzkova.
Kalinina got her first Grand Slam victory at the 2018 US Open by beating Kathina Von Deichmann in the opening round. She then lost to the defending champion Sloane Stephens in three sets. Kalinina did not qualify for another Grand Slam for two years after this and mostly played on the ITF Circuit.
The Ukrainian made a bigger breakthrough in 2021. Kalinina made her first WTA final on the clay courts in Budapest. That run included knocking out the second and third seeds, Danielle Collins and Bernarda Pera. She lost the final 4-6, 0-6 to Yulia Putintseva.
Kalinina claimed two more Grand Slam wins in 2021. These were at the Roland Garros and the US Open, where she beat three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber and Mayar Sherif, respectively. Her efforts in 2021 saw her rise from a ranking of No. 162 at the end of 2020 to No. 52 at the end of 2021.
2022 brought success at the WTA 1000 level for Kalinina. At the Miami Open, she knocked out the fourth seed, Maria Sakkari, on her way to the fourth round, but unfortunately for her, Kalinina had to retire after the first set of her round 4 contest with Jessica Pegula.
Kalinina went even further at the WTA 1000 event in Madrid. Incredibly, she beat three Grand Slam champions to make the quarterfinal. These players were Sloane Stephens, Garbine Muguruza, and Emma Raducanu. Her semifinal hopes were ended in straight sets by Jil Teichmann.
The biggest moment of Kalinina’s career to date came the following year at the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome. The Ukrainian triumphed against Anna Blinkova, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, and 2017 US Open runner-up Madison Keys to reach the quarterfinal.
However, Kalinina was not done there. Three-set triumphs against Beatriz Haddad Maia and Veronika Kudermetova meant she progressed to a maiden WTA 1000 final. But tragically, Kalinina had to retire with an injury after a set and one game of the final against Elena Rybakina. Kalinina also reached her first Grand Slam third round at the 2023 Australian Open, which included a win against another former Grand Slam champion, Petra Kvitova.
