PICTURE: Jannik Sinner's girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya doing Italian hand gesture after being stumped by controversial VAR decision at US Open goes viral

Jannik Sinner's girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya doing the famous Italian hand gesture after a controversial VAR decision during the third round of the 2024 US Open went viral. The Russian, reaching the third round in New York, was her best result in the Slam to date.

At the US Open, Kalinskaya was seeded 15th and she began her campaign by defeating Lauren Davis 6-2, 6-2 in the first round and then triumphed over Anna Bondar 6-2, 6-4 in the second. However, her run came to an end in the third round against 22nd seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, when she fell 3-6, 1-6.

During the match, in the first set when the Russian was leading 2-0, Haddad Maia returned a shot which looked like a double bounce. Despite that, the umpire gave the point to the Brazilian.

Kalinskaya, who was visibly confused as to how Beatriz Haddad Maia was awarded the point, subsequently asked for a VAR replay which showed that Haddad Maia was indeed in the wrong. However, the chair umpire upheld the decision in favor of Haddad Maia.

This decision by the chair umpire puzzled Kalinskaya who was seen doing the famous Italian hands gesture of pinching all the fingers together. The picture of this moment quickly gained traction on social media and went viral.

Anna Kalinskaya had entered the 2024 US Open after competing in two WTA 1000 hard court tournaments. At the 2024 Canadian Open, she defeated Louisa Chirico 6-2, 6-3 and Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 6-2 in the first two rounds but withdrew from the tournament during her match against Amanda Anisimova in the third round due to injury.

Following her performance in Canada, the World No. 15 participated in the 2024 Cincinnati Open where she defeated Katerina Siniakova 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the first round but fell to Paula Badosa 3-6, 2-6 in the second round.

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Jannik Sinner still in contention to claim US Open 2024 title after Anna Kalinskaya's exit from the tournament

Jannik Sinner [Source: Getty]

Anna Kalinskaya's campaign at the 2024 US Open may have come to an end, but her boyfriend, Jannik Sinner, is still in the running to claim the New York Slam title.

Sinner, who kicked off his season by securing his first Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open, is the top seed at the last Grand Slam event of the year, the US Open. He started his campaign at Flushing Meadows by overcoming Mackenzie McDonald 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 in the first round.

The World No. 1 then registered a 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 win over Alex Michelsen in the second round to clinch his 50th win of the season as well as secure his place in the next round.

In the third round, Sinner triumphed over Christopher O’Connell 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the fourth round of the US Open for the fourth consecutive year.

Jannik Sinner will face 14th seed Tommy Paul in the fourth round. Sinner and Paul have faced each other three times on the ATP tour, with the Italian winning two out of those three match-ups.

Their most recent encounter was in 2023 in the semifinals of the Canadian Open. Sinner defeated Paul 6-4, 6-4, and went on to claim the title by defeating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-1 in the final.