Anna Kalinskaya makes her feelings known after crushing Madison Keys at Charleston Open

Anna Kalinskaya returned to form at the 2025 Charleston Open on Thursday (April 3), defeating second-seeded Madison Keys in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals. Following her victory, the Russian spoke about her third-round performance, her experience at the WTA 500 tournament thus far, and her mindset against top players.

Kalinskaya had endured a tough start to her 2025 season earlier this year, dropping five of her last six matches before arriving in Charleston. Moreover, the 26-year-old also fell outside the women's top 30 following her recent poor results after ending last year ranked 14th.

Anna Kalinskaya has enjoyed a complete reversal of fortune at the South Carolina event this week. Having received a first-round bye, the 14th seed defeated local favorite Caty McNally 6-1, 6-4 in her opener before needing just one hour and 20 minutes to dispatch the reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-2, 6-4 in their third-round clash.

Speaking to Tennis Channel afterwards, the World No. 33 gave a shoutout to the fans in attendance at the Charleston Open while expressing her fondness for green clay - the surface of the 500-level event.

"I can say I like green clay, I like Charleston, I like the atmosphere here. I played against Madison here but I could still feel support for myself so the atmosphere was great, fans were great," Anna Kalinskaya told Tennis Channel's Steve Weissman on Thursday, April 3. "People were super sweet, lot of kids coming to watch, so yeah I really enjoyed and I'm glad that I have another opportunity tomorrow."

Kalinskaya was then asked about the part of her display that she was most pleased with. In response, the Russian insisted that her performance on serve and resilience against a player of Keys' quality got her through to the last eight in Charleston.

"I started to believe in my secone serve more after yesterday. I think the percentage of the first serve was good, as well. And I was trying to make as less mistakes as I can. In some moments, she was playing really aggressive," she added. "I just had to stay calm and I really respect her, so some shots were great and I really couldn't do much. But I tried to stay focused and do my job, and I'm glad it worked."

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Anna Kalinskaya: "I have less doubts when I play against a top player"

Anna Kalinskaya retrieves a ball during her Charleston Open 3R | Image Source: Getty

During the interaction with Tennis Channel, Anna Kalinskaya also touched upon her 11-9 win/loss record against top 10 players, which includes upset wins over Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. The 26-year-old maintained that since there was no pressure on her to deliver in such a high-stakes match-up, she could play freely and have fewer doubts about her game.

"I guess there's no pressure when you play someone from the top 10 and I don't have to play my best, if not they will take advantage of me," Anna Kalinskaya said. "So I have less doubts when I play against a top player and just go for it. Sometimes it works, sometimes no but I'm glad most of the times it's working."

Kalinskaya will be eager to win her maiden WTA Tour title in Charleston later this week. The Russian will take on a resurgent Sofia Kenin for a place in the semifinals of the WTA 500 tournament.