Anhelina Kalinina contributed to both points as Ukraine reached the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals on Thursday, September 24, in Shenzhen. After winning her singles match, she returned alongside Lyudmyla Kichenok to beat Magali Kempen and Lara Salden 6–3, 6–3, completing a 2–1 victory over Belgium.
The result matches Ukraine's best finish in the competition, first achieved in 2025. This time, qualification required a response in doubles after Greet Minnen levelled the tie by defeating Elina Svitolina.
Two singles comebacks
Kalinina opened the day with a 6–7(6), 6–1, 6–1 victory over Jana Otzipka in two hours and eight minutes. The Belgian, making her competition debut, took the opening tie-break, but Kalinina conceded only two games across the next two sets.
Minnen also had to recover after losing a tie-break. She beat Svitolina 6–7(5), 6–4, 6–4 in two hours and 44 minutes to keep Belgium's hopes alive. A break in the ninth game of the final set paved the way for her to level the tie at 1–1.
Kichenok's experience in the decider
In doubles, Kalinina and Kichenok broke the deadlock by taking their opponents' serve for a 4–3 lead in the opening set. They protected that advantage and won the second set as well to secure the deciding point.
Afterwards, Kalinina highlighted Kichenok's guidance and credited their collaboration for the result. Her performance completed a significant return: she had not played in the Billie Jean King Cup since November 2023.
Another chance to go further
Ukraine qualified for Shenzhen by beating Poland 4–0 in April. Belgium had defeated the United States 3–1 to return to the Finals for the first time since 2022.
The Ukrainians will next play on Saturday, September 26, in the second semi-final. The title match is scheduled for Sunday, September 27.
The official video brings together highlights from all three matches. Kalinina vs Otzipka opens the package, Svitolina vs Minnen begins at 5:18, and the deciding doubles starts at 10:32.
