Anna Kalinskaya is through to the French Open 2026 quarterfinals.
Showing mental fortitude on the Paris clay, the No. 22 seed outlasted No. 28 seed Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(7) in a rollercoaster fourth-round thriller that spanned 2 hours and 49 minutes.
In the opening set, Potapova surged ahead to a double-break 4-1 lead. Kalinskaya responded by rattling off five straight games, eventually stealing the set.
After Potapova dominated the second frame, the final set delivered the Roland Garros drama.
Potapova served for the match twice, at both 5-4 and 6-5. However, Kalinskaya refused to back down, breaking back both times to force a decisive super-tiebreak.
Trailing 4-1 in the tiebreak, Kalinskaya rallied once again. She took control by striking aggressive drive volleys, subsequently winning nine of the final 12 points to seal the victory.
Historically, clay has not been Kalinskaya's favorite surface. This victory marks just her fifth career clay-court quarterfinal. And her relaxed mindset this season coming into the French Open seems to be paying off.
"I think I just take this clay season very easy mentally," Kalinskaya said postmatch. "I don’t put too much pressure to do well."
Kalinskaya vs. Maja Chwalińska Headlines French Open Quarters
The 27-year-old now advances to her second-career Grand Slam quarterfinal, following a deep 2024 Australian Open run.
To reach her first major semifinal — and her first Roland Garros semifinal — she must next defeat Polish qualifier Maja Chwalińska. The pair faces off on Wednesday, June 3rd, live on TNT.
