"How does WTA expect me to recover?" - Anna Kalinskaya calls out 'unfair' Cincinnati Open schedule ahead of Iga Swiatek QF

Anna Kalinskaya recently called out the WTA over 'unfair' scheduling. As the Russian gears up to face Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open, she criticised the tournament’s hectic order of play, questioning how players are expected to perform without an adequate amount of rest.

Kalinskaya began her campaign in Ohio against Payton Stearns, claiming a hard-fought win over the American. She then went on to pull off a major upset as she outdid Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova in straight games. The 26-year-old then took on 12th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, and despite a slow start to the match, she eventually pulled through 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-1.

After her victory over Alexandrova, Anna Kalinskaya put the WTA and Cincinnati Open on blast for their scheduling of her quarterfinals match. Taking to her Instagram story, she wrote,

“How can the @wta and tournament expect athletes to perform their best when the scheduling is this unfair? After my match against Alexandrova, I got home from the site at 2:40am and didn't go to bed until 4am. I slept a bit and came to the site to practice. Then I get scheduled at 11 am for tomorrow's match - how does the tournament and WTA expect me to recover and continuously adjust my sleep pattern, which is one of the most important aspects of recovery? Seems a bit one sided.”

Via @annakalinskaya78 on Instagram

Up next, Kalinskaya will face Iga Swiatek for her quarterfinals encounter at the Cincinnati Open. The duo are scheduled to be the first women's singles match on Center Court on Friday, August 15.

Anna Kalinskaya reflects on her upcoming clash with Iga Swiatek

Kalinskaya and Swiatek at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (Image Source: Getty)

Anna Kalinskaya has had an incredible run at the Cincinnati Open so far. On the other hand, Iga Swiatek has been just as impressive in her campaign at the WTA Masters 1000 event. The Wimbledon Champion is yet to drop a set in the tournament and has been dominant in her play on the hard courts.

Speaking about facing Swiatek at the Cincinnati Open, Kalinskaya showed enthusiasm for their upcoming clash, saying in an on-court interview,

“I'm excited. Well, I hope it's going to be, I hope it is going to be a great level match and I mean Iga is such a fighter. So we'll see what's going to happen tomorrow.”

Anna Kalinskaya and Iga Swiatek have previously played each other only once, and on that occasion it was the Russian who emerged victorious in straight sets.