Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine fought back from a set down and survived a match point to defeat former world number one Caroline Wozniacki 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 in a grueling contest. It seemed Kalinina was defeated when she fell behind 2-5 in the second set, but she shifted gears and played aggressively to break the Dane and put herself in a position to win.
Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina averted a match point and rallied from a set down to defeat former world number one Caroline Wozniacki 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 in a grueling three-set battle. Kalinina appeared to be on her way out after trailing 2-5 in the second set, but with nothing to lose, she came out swinging her racket to break the Dane and serve for the match.
The struggle continued as Kalinina faced a match point while serving, but she stayed in the game with a bold forehand winner to make it 5-4. She then swept five consecutive games to claim the second set. Moving into the third, the 27-year-old maintained her momentum to lead 5-3. However, Wozniacki showed great resilience, saving three match points to hold her serve. In the end, Kalinina converted her fourth match point, closing out the comeback with an ace.
Caroline Wozniacki, who captured the Australian Open title in 2018 before retiring from the sport two years later, returned to the tour last year. She showed strong form at Indian Wells this month by reaching the quarterfinals, though a right foot injury forced her to withdraw during her second-set clash with the top-seeded Swiatek.
Kalinina's next opponent will be either Paula Badosa or the world number two, Aryna Sabalenka. Friday's match at the Hard Rock Stadium is expected to be emotionally charged, as it marks Sabalenka's first appearance since the passing of her former partner, Konstantin Koltsov. The death of the former hockey player has deeply affected the Miami Open community, with fellow athletes rallying around Sabalenka. Adding another layer to the match, Sabalenka will be facing Badosa, who is one of her closest friends on the circuit.
Elsewhere in the second round, Maria Sakkari found her winning form again shortly after her loss in the Indian Wells final. On Thursday, the Greek star cruised to a convincing 6-2, 6-2 victory over China's Yue Yuan to reach the third round. Having fallen to Iga Swiatek in Sunday's final in California, the eighth seed played with total focus, especially after struggling in her previous two trips to Miami.
Yue, coming off a first WTA title in Austin and a quarterfinal run at Indian Wells, faced a tough draw in Sakkari. However, the 28-year-old Greek player handled the challenge with ease, delivering a 79-minute masterclass in which she broke her opponent's serve five times.