It’s so good to see Anna Kalinskaya healthy on a tennis court, which seems to be the case despite her right shoulder being strapped. Winning her first WTA title in November has given the Russian a lot of confidence and that shows in early 2024 where Kalinskaya only lost to Victoria Azarenka and Daria Kasatkina, beating Sloane Stephens and Barbora Krejcikova among others. The latter is already through to the quarterfinals here in Melbourne, so that win was an expressive one.
Stamina is still a weak spot for Kalinskaya, but the Grand Slam format should actually help that case with days off in between. I also don’t mind the doubles setup since hitting some balls freely might actually be more relaxing than putting in demanding practice.
Jasmine Paolini is a great measuring stick on today’s WTA tour. The Italian is beating the players she should beat, but doesn’t have the weapons to overcome more talented players when they are on their game – which Kalinskaya clearly is. Nothing is really pointing towards Kalinskaya suddenly dropping her level as she even showed unacquainted composure being down break points at *3-4 in the third set against Stephens. Nothing extraordinary here, but the talent gap between these two is still big enough for me to put 1u on AK.
Suggested Bets:
1u on Anna Kalinskaya ML at 1.67 (-150) with bet365
Over 18s Only (21+ in some jurisdictions). 1 unit = 1% of bankroll. These are my bets that I am making. Please enjoy your betting responsibly. Never bet more than you can afford to lose, and do not chase a loss.