PARIS — Anna Kalinskaya surprised herself after defeating Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10-7) to reach her first French Open quarterfinal on Monday.
The Russian had not expected to get this far.
“Thinking two weeks ago that I will be here, I wouldn’t believe it,” she said. “I would probably laugh with my team.”
Perhaps setting a low bar has helped her play more freely in the opening rounds.
“I just take this clay season very easy mentally. I don’t put too much pressure to do well. I guess it helps,” the No. 22 seed said. “I didn’t have any expectations on clay for myself.”
Their contest on Court Suzanne-Lenglen stretched to almost three hours after Potapova failed to serve out the match twice in the decider and Kalinskaya overturned a 4-1 deficit in the super tiebreak.
“I'm super proud, and I can't believe it,” Kalinskaya said. “The match was so long, so I’m still processing what’s going on.”
It will be Kalinskaya's second quarterfinal at a major beside the 2024 Australian Open.
Despite pre-tournament men’s favorite Jannik Sinner losing in the second round, Italian fans will have at least one player in the quarterfinals.
Tenth-seeded Flavio Cobolli advanced to his second Grand Slam quarterfinal — and his first here — after beating American Zachary Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5).
“It’s for sure my favorite Grand Slam to play,” Cobolli said after winning on Court Philippe-Chatrier. “We have the best feeling with the surface as Italians.”
A little while after his win, Cobolli — a former youth soccer player at Italian club Roma — joined players from the Paris Saint-Germain team as they paraded the Champions League trophy on Chatrier. PSG beat Arsenal in the final on Saturday.
His next opponent will be No. 4 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Alejandro Tabilo 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 to reach the last eight at all four majors. But the Canadian has never been beyond the semifinals.
Big-serving Matteo Berrettini, the other remaining Italian, joined Cobolli in the quarterfinals after beating Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6). Berrettini last reached the quarters here in 2021.
French hopes were over following Diane Parry's 6-3, 6-2 loss to Maja Chwalinska of Poland. There were also no more Americans in the women's draw after Madison Keys lost to Diana Shnaider 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.
Chwalinska had never been beyond the second round of any major, and has not even made it into the main draw at the U.S. Open. Her run is even more impressive since she came through three qualifying rounds and was ranked No. 114.
Big names have gone out of the French Open — defending champion Coco Gauff, four-time winner Iga Swiatek, and No. 2-ranked Elena Rybakina — but it makes little difference to Chwalinska.
“Whoever I’m playing, I’m lower in the rankings, so it doesn’t matter for me,” Chwalinska said smiling. “So they are the favorites to win. I’m like an underdog. No one really knows me.”
Later, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, last year's runner-up, takes on Naomi Osaka in a match between four-time Grand Slam winners. It is the first women's night match at the French Open in three years.
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AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin contributed.
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