At just after midnight on Sunday, the women’s singles event in Rome ended much as it began: eclipsed by controversy over poor scheduling and a shambolic trophy presentation.
For the shameful silencing of the women’s doubles finalists at the Madrid Open a fortnight ago, read the decision to make Elena Rybakina and Anhelina Kalinina contest one of the sport’s most coveted titles at the dog-end of a rainswept day, in front of a predictably sparse crowd, before neglecting to present Rybakina with the winner’s trophy after a tearful Kalinina was forced to retired with a thigh injury while trailing 6-4, 1-0.
It was a sad way for the biggest match of Kalinina’s career to end. The Ukrainian world No 47 had fought tooth and nail to reach the final, surviving the longest women’s match of the season, a three hour and 41 minute quarter-final epic against Beatriz Haddad Maia, either side of courageous three-set wins over Madison Keys and Veronika Kudermetova. After toiling for more than 11½ hours merely to make the showpiece, the 26-year-old deserved better than to be sent out into the night, after a day of interminable waiting behind the scenes, hoping that the strapping on her thigh would help her battle-weary body withstand one more match.
It was equally unfair on Rybakina, who, as the seventh seed and reigning Wimbledon champion, might justifiably have expected to be treated with greater respect. Put it this way: would Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal, champions in all but two of the past 18 years, have been ordered to play at such an hour, with only a week to go until the French Open?
Either way, with her second WTA 1000 title of the season, following her victory over Aryna Sabalenka in Indian Wells, Rybakina will rise to a career-high ranking of No 4. She also becomes only the fourth woman in the open era to prevail in the slow conditions of Indian Wells and the even slower conditions of Rome in the same year, following in the footsteps of Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters and Iga Switek.
The organisers cannot be blamed for the unseasonable weather that has descended on the Italian capital this week, and the tireless work that has gone into keeping the event on schedule should be acknowledged. Yet it was hard to see why the final could not have been pushed back a day. Officials reportedly briefed that the finalists had been offered the chance to return on Sunday, but declined the opportunity. Kalinina offered a different version of events.
“As I understood, we didn’t have any other choice, because tomorrow they have a fully booked schedule,” said Kalinina afterwards. “They cannot put us tomorrow.”
Whatever the position, the women’s doubles final was relocated from Stadio Centrale to the tournament’s second show court, Stadio Nicola Pietrangeli, so it was unclear why a similar compromise not have been made on Sunday. As it was, Hugo Nys and Jan Zieliński took to the court just after midday, winning the title 7-5, 6-1 against Robin Haase and Botic van de Zandschulp.
Another alternative would have been to stage the women’s final at, say, 7.30pm, affording Rybakina and Kalinina a stage commensurate with the event’s significance and prestige. Under the circumstances, the irony of the final finishing in the early minutes of Sunday morning was lost on no one.
“A little sad to see that the women’s final of one of the biggest WTA events of the season is starting at 11pm,” wrote Alizé Cornet, the French world No 64, on social media.
“Nobody in the stands of course, and not really cool for both players to start such an important match so late. Why not put both men’s and women’s finals tomorrow?”
The bizarre post-match formalities only added to the sense that all was not as it ought to have been. First, in a highly unusual move, Cecilia Alberti, the Italian chair umpire, was invited to address the crowd, a duty the seemingly abashed official hastily fulfilled. Then, in an inversion of the tradition whereby the runner-up is invited forward first, the emcee summoned Rybakina for the presentation of a framed photo designed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the WTA.
The Kazakh returned to her chair before being called forward again, in what looked like a case of mistaken identity, as an attempt was made to present her with the runner-up trophy. That in turn led to the evidently bemused Rybakina delivering her speech before Kalinina – once she had been handed a working mic, that is, the one that was set up for the purpose having apparently malfunctioned.
“I want to wish Anhelina a speedy recovery because she is a good friend of mine and I’m really happy for all her results,” said Kalinina.
There was further bewilderment when Kalinina was belatedly called up to receive her plate, only for an official to linger at length as he posed for photos alongside her. Kalinina bore it all with dignity before offering an apology to the crowd – as though any were necessary – for her inability to continue.
“I feel like I am at my physical limit, today especially,” Kalinina, who will rise to a career-high ranking of 25, said afterwards. “I felt the leg after the Beatriz Haddad Maia match. I pushed myself yesterday [against Kudermetova]. I was able to do that.
“But today, yeah, I started, but after, I don’t know, two, three games I couldn’t. I was trying, but it was absolutely impossible.
“I’m proud of my fighting spirit these two weeks. I was fighting despite of the score, any situation, any weather conditions, opponents. Everyone was very tough. A serious draw.
“I am very just proud that I was able to compete at this level with these quality matches and was able to win them.”
Kalinina had won the only previous meeting between the pair, in Charleston last year, and we shall never know what might have happened had the Ukrainian been fully fit. As it was, she leapt into an early lead, capitalising on a slow start by Rybakina to claim three of the first four games, before a combination of the Wimbledon champion’s power and her own physical struggles began to tell. It was the third time in the tournament that an opponent had retired mid-match against Rybakina, Anna Kalinskaya pulling out with an injury in round three before Swiatek suffered a thigh injury early in the third set of their quarter-final.
“Really strange two weeks for me,” said Rybakina. “I don’t remember when I got [a] retirement [in another] tournament. Here it was like three. It’s really strange.
“Also, with the rain delays, I think my schedule is completely different than usual. I was going to sleep really late, waking up almost in the afternoon.
“But I’m happy that this tough two weeks also finished in a good way for me.”
When the chaos culminated with Rybakina briefly being left trophyless, the crowd made their displeasure plain, as they had done from the outset. The jeers and whistles that resounded around the Foro Italico as the bizarre post-match formalities unfolded were echoed by the wider tennis world.
“What the hell is going on with this presentation?” mused Rennae Stubbs, the former women’s doubles No 1 turned media pundit. “I mean, to have the umpire speaking?
“Then they announced the winner first? And forgot about the runner-up.
“Officially the worst trophy presentation I have ever seen, in my life.”