MIAMI -- No.32 seed Anhelina Kalinina saved match point and came from a set down to defeat former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round of the Miami Open. The match lasted 3 hours and 18 minutes and is the fourth-longest Hologic WTA Tour match this season.
Kalinina will face either No.2 Aryna Sabalenka or Paula Badosa in the third round. Her best result in Miami came in 2022 with a run to the Round of 16.
Coming off a straight-set win over France's Clara Burel in the first round, Wozniacki rebounded from a break down to edge Kalinina for the first set. The Dane looked primed to close out another straight-set win, extending her surge to five straight games to lead 3-0 in the second set.
Marathon in Miami 😅@angie_kalinina rallies from a set and 2-5 down, saving a match point to get past Wozniacki in a 3hr17min battle!#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/K4jpxmzW3f
— wta (@WTA) March 21, 2024
With Kalinina champing at the bit to break, Wozniacki survived a total of 12 deuces in her next two service games to lead 5-2. Four points from defeat, Kalinina began to swing freely. With increased aggression and pace, the 2023 Rome finalist surged back, breaking Wozniacki as she served for the match. Kalinina then saved a match point on her own serve with a clean forehand winner and rode that momentum to take the match to a decider.
The final set remained on edge until Wozniacki was forced to take a medical timeout mid-set. Kalinina responded by breaking serve and consolidating for a 5-3 lead. Wozniacki fended off three match points to hold and force Kalinina to serve out the win. The final game remained tight until Wozniacki hit a tired forehand into the net at 30-all. Finally, on her fourth match point, Kalinina sealed the win with an ace.