Jennifer Brady shines in first WTA match in 713 days, storms past Anhelina Kalinina at Citi Open in Washington

Former Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady showed no signs of rust as she breezed past world No. 28 Anhelina Kalinina in the first round of the Citi Open 2023.

The American had not played a WTA-level match since August 2021 due to a series of injuries and surgeries. However, she displayed her trademark power and precision in a 6-2, 6-1 victory that lasted just over an hour on Tuesday, August 1.

Brady, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 13 in February 2021 after making that year's Australian Open final, dealt with a fracture in her right knee and a tear in her left foot. These kept her out of action for nearly two years (713 days).

The 28-year-old recently played the ITF Canada event, where she reached the second round, in July to prepare for her comeback at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. She faced a tough test against Kalinina, who had reached the second round of Wimbledon this year.

However, Brady was up to the challenge, firing 20 winners and breaking serve six times to dominate the match from start to finish. She served consistently above 105 mph and dictated the rallies with her aggressive baseline game.

Brady’s impressive performance earned her praise from fans on social media. One user tweeted:

“WOW! Jennifer Brady, playing her first WTA tournament in two years, easily beats #28 Anhelina Kalinina 6-2, 6-1 to reach the 2nd round of the Washington WTA 500. Incredible comeback to the main tour from the 2021 AusOpen runner-up.”

Stats giant Opta posted the number of days after which Brady was making her comeback.

"713 - Jennifer Brady will play her first WTA Singles match since the Second Round in Cincinnati 2021, 713 days ago. Comeback," the tweet read.

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Jennifer Brady and Madison Keys win their doubles opener at Citi Open 2023

Jennifer Brady in the Olympics

Jennifer Brady and Madison Keys teamed up for the second time in doubles at the Citi Open 2023. The American pair faced a tough challenge from Maria Sakkari and Petra Martic.

Brady and Keys, however, showed great chemistry and coordination as they overcame the experienced duo in a thrilling three-setter. The match lasted two hours and 15 minutes and featured several twists and turns. The final score was 6-3, 1-6, 10-2 in favor of the Americans.

Brady and Keys were ecstatic after their victory, hugging each other and celebrating with the crowd.

They also posted a picture of themselves on social media, wearing pink and black outfits that resembled the color themes of the newly released movies Barbie and Oppenheimer respectively. They joked that they were the “Barbenheimer team.”