WTA French Open – Elina Avanesyan vs Anhelina Kalinina

WTA French Open – Elina Avanesyan vs Anhelina Kalinina

🧠 Form & Context

Elina Avanesyan
📉 Cold spring: Has not won a match since Miami, falling early in Madrid and Rome to Dolehide and Cocciaretto.
📈 RG specialist: Back-to-back fourth-round appearances at Roland-Garros (2023, 2024) — her strongest Slam by far.
🎯 Career-high in 2025: Reached a personal best ranking of No. 36 after a semifinal in Mérida and a final in Iași.
💪 Clay comfort: Thrives on slow surfaces, using patience, spin, and strategic rally construction to break down opponents.

Anhelina Kalinina
📉 2025 unraveling: Has lost in the early rounds of 14 of her last 16 tournaments since a strong start in Brisbane and Cluj.
📉 Ranking crash: Plummeted to No. 113 — her lowest WTA ranking since 2021.
🏛️ RG record: Just 2–4 lifetime at Roland-Garros, with first-round exits in each of the last two years.
⏳ In freefall: Struggling with form, confidence, and hasn’t beaten a top-50 player in months.

🔍 Match Breakdown

This is a battle between two out-of-form players—but Avanesyan’s history in Paris makes her the favorite. She has consistently outperformed her ranking at this Slam and her heavy topspin game is tailor-made for the surface. Even with recent struggles, her clay instincts and mental resilience on this stage remain assets.

Kalinina, by contrast, has failed to build any rhythm in 2025 and enters with zero momentum. Unless she rediscovers her aggression early and overwhelms Avanesyan with pace, she’s likely to get dragged into the kind of rallies where her consistency breaks down.

Avanesyan also holds a head-to-head edge after defeating Kalinina at Wimbledon 2024, which adds a psychological advantage.

🔮 Prediction

Avanesyan’s comfort at Roland-Garros, superior clay skill set, and mental edge should guide her through a tricky but winnable match.

Prediction: Elina Avanesyan in straight sets — steady, strategic baseline dominance 🧱🎾