Kalinskaya Roars Back to Reach Roland Garros Last Eight
Day nine in Paris settled the bottom half of the draw: Anna Kalinskaya fought back to a maiden quarterfinal, while the evening holds a rare women's night session, Sabalenka against Osaka.
- Kalinskaya rallied past Potapova 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10-7) to reach her first quarterfinal in Paris.
- Potapova served for the match twice and led 4-0 in the deciding tiebreak before letting it slip.
- Cobolli ousted Swiatek's compatriot Swiderski; the men's last eight is Fonseca v Mensik and Jodar v Zverev.
- The evening holds a rare women's night session, Sabalenka against Osaka on the main court.
It was 4-0 for Potapova in the deciding tiebreak, the crowd carrying that low murmur that usually means a match is finished. Anna Kalinskaya stood on the Philippe-Chatrier baseline as a player with nothing left to lose, which is precisely why she started swinging freely. The next ten points turned the whole story on its head.
Anyone who walked into the Parisian afternoon expecting a quiet stroll for a favorite got something else entirely. On day nine of Roland Garros the bottom half of the women’s draw produced its quarterfinalists, and the Russian did the hardest and most striking work of the day.
How did Kalinskaya flip a match she twice looked set to lose?
The scoreline looks tidy, but it hides how close she came to the edge. Kalinskaya won 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10-7) to reach her first Roland Garros quarterfinal. To get there she had to survive Potapova serving for the win twice, and then that 4-0 hole in the closing super tiebreak.
What decided it was not a dazzling run of winners but patience. Kalinskaya stopped rushing, put balls back in court and let her opponent feel the weight of serving for the match. Potapova began to miss, first on the second serve, then off the forehand, and the balance tipped.
- Potapova served for the match twice and lost both games.
- She led 4-0 in the super tiebreak before conceding a run of points.
- Kalinskaya closed it out 10-7 in that same tiebreak.
What else does day nine in Paris offer?
The bottom half of the men’s draw also took its final shape. Flavio Cobolli (10) beat Zac Swiderski 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5) in a match that turned into a seesaw down the stretch. That completes the men’s quarterfinals: Fonseca (19) v Mensik (20) and Jodar (19) v Zverev (2), the mix of youth and experience organizers love.
The real treat, though, waits for the evening slot. Sabalenka and Osaka, each a four-time Grand Slam champion, play the first women’s night match on the main court since 2023. Reason enough to stay up, especially since this year’s tournament has already lost several big names: defending champion Coco Gauff went out in the third round, while an injured Carlos Alcaraz did not return to defend last year’s trophy.
The first women’s night match on Chatrier since 2023 brings together two players with four Grand Slam titles apiece, more than enough reason to follow the Paris evening session from the very first point.
The bottom half is settled, the top half still trembles. So, do you trust the experience of Sabalenka and Osaka, or one of the younger names who have broken through to the quarterfinals?
