Anna Kalinskaya’s campaign at the 2026 Cincinnati Open has come to an early end, with a mid-match retirement during her third-round clash. The Russian’s decision has drawn criticism, with questions surrounding the timing of her retirement following her exit from the WTA 1000 event.
Tennis World Reacts to Anna Kalinskaya’s Cincinnati Open Retirement
After receiving a first-round bye, No. 18 seed Kalinskaya kicked off her Cincinnati Open campaign with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Caty McNally. She then locked horns with No. 15 seed Sorana Cîrstea in a match that was disrupted by rain delays.
Although Kalinskaya clinched the closely contested opening set in the tiebreak, Cîrstea fought back to dominate the second set and take control of the decider. While trailing 0-5 in the third set, the Russian called for a medical timeout and received treatment on her lower back and hip area.
However, the treatment proved ineffective as Kalinskaya retired from the match with Cîrstea leading 6-7(4), 6-1, 5-0, leaving the Romanian just one game away from victory.
This marked Kalinskaya’s second mid-match retirement of the season. Her previous retirement came against Elina Svitolina, who held a 6-1, 4-1 lead, in their clash at the Berlin Tennis Open. The Russian also recorded four mid-match retirements during the 2025 season.
Kalinskaya’s move came under fire from the tennis community. Tennis journalist Myles David voiced his frustration with the Russian, accusing her of repeatedly calling for medical timeouts and pulling such retirement “stunts.”
“Who’s going to call out Kalinskaya for routinely doing things like this?” David commented.
“If she’s not calling out the physio for some phantom injury, she’s pulling stunts like that. A top 25 player mind you,” he commented further.
Journalist José Morgado, meanwhile, suggested that the world No. 21 retired to avoid losing 0-6 in the final set.
“Kalinskaya didn’t want her good friend Cirstea to bagel her. Retired down 0-5 down in the 3rd. Sori vs. Pegula or Navarro,” Morgado said.
Fans expressed similar sentiments and questioned the “embarrassing” timing of the retirement. One fan even called for players to face punishment in such situations and argued that the injury should be verified by the tournament.
“Retiring with 1 potential game to finish the match should always be punished or at least require a medical examination right after retiring at the tournament medical center to determine if it really was valid,” one fan commented.
“You gotta feel sorry for Kalinskaya for not winning a title so far in her career, she is solid player. But she needs to stop with these nonstop mto gimmicks,” said another.
“Retirement down 0-5 is a bit embarrassing,” a user wrote.
Anna Kalinskaya will now turn her attention to regaining full fitness ahead of the US Open, which is set to begin on Aug. 30. Meanwhile, Sorana Cîrstea will square off against No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula in the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open.
