Limoges has a way of making indoor hard courts feel like a glass box: if your timing is a fraction off, everyone can see it. On Saturday, the top seed found that out the hard way — and the home favorite had to dig deep to keep a French storyline alive.
Kalinina Keeps It Clean and Clips the Top Seed
Anhelina Kalinina moved into the Open BLS de Limoges final with a composed 6-4 6-3 win over Cristina Bucsa, a scoreline that read controlled rather than commanding. Against the tournament’s No.1 seed, Kalinina resisted the temptation to rush, instead leaning on depth and repeatable patterns that quietly drained Bucsa’s options.
The Ukrainian was sharp on return early in both sets, asking questions Bucsa never fully answered. Whenever rallies lengthened, Kalinina’s flatter ball struck first and landed deeper, forcing Bucsa to defend instead of dictate. There were no dramatic swings, just steady pressure and clean exits from danger — the sort of performance that wins finals before they’re played.
Jacquemot Rides the Wave, Then Makes Her Own
The second semifinal told a very different story. Elsa Jacquemot needed every inch of resilience she owns to get past Anna-Lena Friedsam, edging a tense three-setter 6-2 2-6 7-5 that lurched back and forth all evening.
Jacquemot flew out of the blocks, taking the first set with assertive first strikes and early breaks. Then Friedsam changed the tempo completely. The German stepped inside the baseline, took the ball earlier, and suddenly Jacquemot’s margins evaporated. The second set slipped away fast.
What followed was a decider that tested nerve more than technique. Friedsam had momentum, Jacquemot had the crowd, and neither player could afford hesitation. At 5-5, the Frenchwoman finally found clarity — choosing her moments to attack, trusting her forehand under pressure, and breaking late to close the door. It wasn’t flawless, but it was decisive.
A Final with Contrasting Rhythms
Sunday’s final sets up a sharp contrast. Kalinina arrives with control and calm, having never lost grip of her semifinal. Jacquemot comes in battle-scarred but buoyed by survival, backed by the crowd and confidence born from escaping trouble.
Different paths, same destination — and a Sunday indoor final that promises tension.
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