WATCH: Beatriz Haddad Maia exits the court in TEARS after suffering a ‘heartbreaking’ loss against Anhelina Kalinina in Rome
After leading the third set 3-0, Haddad Maia somehow struggled to keep consistency.
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Beatriz Haddad Maia exits in tears (Image Via Twitter)
Beatriz Haddad Maia faced a tough loss in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open. The Brazilian played the longest match of the 2023 Hologic WTA Tour season but was defeated by the Ukrainian player, Anhelina Kalinina (7-6, 6-7, 3-6). With her early upset at the tour, Haddad Maia looked quite emotional as she exited the court.
The 26-year-old had quite an incredible start to her clay campaign. She reached the quarter-finals at the Stuttgart Open but fell short of the outstanding performance of Ons Jabeur. At the Madrid Open, her partnership with Victoria Azarenka for the women’s doubles yielded positive results for the duo. They won the title after defeating the American team, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, in straight sets (6-1, 6-4). With her arrival in Rome, World No.15 delivered some extraordinary performances as she claimed victory against Elena-Gabriela Ruse and Magda Linette in the first and second rounds, respectively.
With hopes of reaching her second semi-final of the year, Haddad Maia played two tie-breaks in the first two sets. After leading the third set 3-0, she somehow struggled to keep consistency. Their battle lasted for 3 hours, 41 minutes, making it the longest of the season since the match between Erika Andreeva and Harriet Dart in Austin. The World No.47, Kalinina expressed her delight after advancing to the biggest seminal of her career.
“It feels great, but I can’t feel my body or my legs. I think it was the longest match of my career. thanks to my coach and thanks to my fitness coach because this win is not my win. My part is 50 percent and 50 percent is my fitness coach,” she said during the post-match interview.
She further shed light on her on-court struggles during the match and praised Haddad Maia for her ‘aggressive’ game style. “I started really well and I think it was my weakness because I was a little bit relaxed. Beatriz started to play really great, stepping in, playing really aggressive, but I was just waiting after 5-2. I started aggressive but I started to lose my game. I’m sorry but if you’re starting to push the ball, it’s not going to work,” Kalinina added.
As the match ended with unexpected results, Haddad Maia couldn’t hold back her tears as she waved out of the court. The crowd made a standing ovation to appreciate the stunning performance of the Brazilian player.
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Beatriz Haddad Maia’s women’s doubles win at the Madrid Open was marred with controversy
Beatriz Haddad Maia and Victoria Azarenka’s ‘unexpected’ partnership led the duo to win the women’s doubles title at Madrid Open. They delivered an outstanding performance against the ‘dynamic duo’ of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula and won the finals in straight sets.
The Brazilian won her biggest career title and extended her record to five doubles accolades. This was her second finals appearance, since her runners-up trophy at the Indian Wells Masters with Laura Siegemund. On the other hand, Azarenka claimed her 10th doubles title and fifth WTA 1000.
The Belarussian claimed her biggest win in the doubles category after her last teaming up with Ashleigh Barty. However, their trophy ceremony resulted in somewhat disappointment after the players were denied the on-court speech. This led to the criticism of the organizers and their act was labeled as ‘sexism’ and ‘favoritism’.
With the decision to cut the players post-match speech, Haddad Maia’s partner Azarenka took to social media to extend her gratitude. “I would like to say thank you to all the fans for coming out and supporting us! Thank you to Bia for an incredible week! Our first title together! Congrats to @JLPegula and @CocoGauff for the final and your teams! Thank you to all the people behind the scenes for working hard! I would like to say thank you to my team for your hard work and support! An unforgettable week,” she said through twitter.
Coco Gauff also clapped back at the Madrid organizers as she thanked her fans, team, and family through social media.” Wasn’t given the chance to speak after the final today:( But thank you to the fans for supporting us and women’s tennis this week! Thanks @JLPegula for always keeping it fun on the court and hitting unreal clutch shots hahahaha Lastly, big congratulations Vika and Bia,” Gauff said via Twitter.
Haddad Maia reached the quarter-finals at the Stuttgart Open, after the walkover from Elena Rybakina in the round of 16. However, she failed to reach the semi-finals as she was defeated by Ons Jabeur.
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Tanushree Verma
(52 Articles Published)