Unusual scene at Guadalajara Open: Anna Kalinskaya wins point with broken strings, Daria Kasatkina's challenge overrules it

In the third round of the ongoing WTA 1000 tournament — the Guadalajara Open — Anna Kalinskaya beat compatriot Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in two hours and 14 minutes to book a spot in the quarterfinals.

In an out-of-the-ordinary occurrence, when 73rd-ranked Kalinskaya was serving for the match in the third set at 5-3, 40-40, some strings of her racquet broke in the middle of a point. She continued to hang in there in the 20+ shots rally and eventually won the point when one of Kasatkina’s cross-court forehands was called out.

Kalinskaya couldn't help but laugh at what had happened to her racquet and how she got away with it and immediately walked to her chair to get a new one. However, a challenge from the World No. 11 overturned the decision and the point had to be replayed. Kalinskaya once again won the point and wrapped up the match.

Russia's Daria Kasatkina was the seventh seed in the tournament and hence, received a bye in her first round. She downed China's Zhu Lin 6-1, 6-2 in the second round and set up a fourth meeting on the tour with Kalinskaya. The two players had faced each other three times previously, with the 25-year-old winning on all occasions.

In her first two matches, Kalinskaya defeated ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and Elise Mertens of Belgium. The Russian will face 38th-ranked Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals.

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Daria Kasatkina qualifies for the 2022 WTA Finals

Daria Kasatkina has qualified for the Finals for the first time

Only one seat remains as far as the 2022 WTA Finals are concerned. The tournament will be played in Dallas, Texas, from October 31 to November 7. Daria Kasatkina and Aryna Sabalenka are the latest to join the list of top players who will grace the event. The first five players to qualify were Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Caroline Garcia.

25-year-old Kasatkina will play the prestigious tournament for the first time in her career. This season, she has won two events so far — the WTA 500 Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose and the WTA 250 Granby National Bank Championships. The 11th-ranked player also reached the semifinals of multiple tournaments, including the 2022 French Open.

Kasatkina made her comeback to the top 10 in the rankings this year for the first time since January 2019 when she reached the ninth spot in August.