Anna Kalinskaya was drawn into a three-setter with world No. 132 Manachaya Sawangkaew but didn't allow any upsets to happen after coming up big in the decider to seal a 6-3 4-6 6-0 win over the Thai qualifier and progress into the Singapore Open semifinal.
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After four relatively calm games, the top seed earned the first break points in the fifth game and realized her third to go 3-2 up.
With the Russian leading 5-3 and the Thai serving to stay in the match, the No. 1 seed collected her second break of the set to bag the opener.
Sawangkaew failed to threaten Kalinskaya even once during the first set but the second set was a completely different story.
Early in the second set, the world No. 132 missed out on four break points in the first game but kept pressing and ended up claiming back-to-back breaks in the third and fifth games en route to opening a 5-1 lead.
While the Russian managed to get one break back, the Thai managed to serve out for a decider in her second attempt in the 10th game.
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However, losing the second set turned out to be a wake-up call for Kalinskaya, who absolutely dominated the third set and bageled her rival to complete a three-set win.
Kalinskaya plays next against Ann Li
For a place in the final of the WTA 250 tournament in Singapore, the Russian tennis star will play against world No. 85 Li, who beat Kimberley Birrell.
When the 18th-ranked Russian and the 24-year-old American meet, it will be their first meeting.
Kalinskaya may not know much about Li's game but there is no doubt that she enters the match as the favorite.
Meanwhile, it has been a great week for the Russian.
After battling a virus in early 2025 and losing her first two matches, Kalinskaya has won three matches in Singapore and is two wins away from winning her first WTA title.
