American WTA Star Clears the Air After Anna Kalinskaya Blamed Her for Lack of Respect

It should have ended with applause, high-fives, smiles, and cameras capturing another New York comeback. Instead, it ended with a stare, a reproach, and a single sharp sentence that cut through the noise of Arthur Ashe: “I expected a little respect. I haven’t seen you apologize even once.” Those were Anna Kalinskaya’s words to Peyton Stearns on Friday night, spoken out of frustration after several of Stearns’ shots had come uncomfortably close during play, with Kalinskaya feeling a simple gesture of acknowledgment or apology was missing at the US Open. So, how did it all start?

Earlier, the tensions had been hidden by the scoreline. Stearns and partner McCartney Kessler had clawed back from a crushing 1-5 deficit to topple Kalinskaya and Sorana Cirstea, 7-5, 6-4. But the Americans took the victory and celebrated. The crowd roared. Anna Kalinskaya, who had watched her lead disintegrate, saw nothing to celebrate in what she felt was Stearns’s lack of acknowledgment when forehands landed too close for comfort.

Almost immediately after the victory, Stearns reposted a story from her friend, former Ohio State standout Danielle Wolf, who praised the win but also mocked Kalinskaya’s match-point error: “We love a fh (forehand) shank on match point.” What might have been an inside joke among friends felt to many like targeted ridicule. With one post, whispers became headlines: Was this arrogance? Was Stearns rubbing salt in the wound? By Saturday, the narrative had spiraled enough that Stearns stepped in herself.

Taking to X, 23-year-old WTA star Peyton Stearns urged fans to “chill,” insisting it was a misunderstanding between her and Anna Kalinskaya. As she put it, “Guys chill, she didn’t see me apologize when I had hit some forehands at her, never hit her, but I put my hand up & she wasn’t looking. Cleared the air at the end and all is good 🤝🏼 sealed w a fist bump.”

Still, the clip lives on. So do the words. And so does the feeling that, in the high-voltage atmosphere of Flushing Meadows, where every gesture is scrutinized and every word weighed, the drama often extends far beyond the court lines. And Stearns wasn’t the only player to find herself drawn into that fight.

Not only Anna Kalinskaya, Taylor Townsend, and Stefanos Tsitsipas also spark US Open respect battles

Just a day earlier, in another corner of the US Open, Taylor Townsend had her own tense moment with Jelena Ostapenko after a second-round singles match. Townsend had pulled off a straight-sets victory, but instead of congratulating her at the net, Ostapenko confronted the American. The charge: disrespect. Ostapenko bristled at what she saw as two breaches of etiquette. First, Townsend’s refusal to apologize after clipping the net cord on a pivotal point. Second, her decision to warm up at the net before the match, rather than at the baseline.

In her words, “She was very disrespectful as she had a net ball in a very deciding [moment] and didn’t say [sorry],” Ostapenko said afterward. “Her answer was that she doesn’t have to say sorry at all. There are some rules in tennis which most players follow, and it was the first time ever that this happened to me on tour. If she plays in her homeland it doesn’t mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants.” And it wasn’t only happening in the women’s game.

In the men’s draw, another clash over unwritten rules unfolded between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Germany’s Daniel Altmaier during their own second-round battle. When Altmaier threw in an underarm serve – a perfectly legal tactic, but one that still carries a whiff of cheekiness, Tsitsipas was visibly irritated. After Altmaier sealed the upset win, the tension spilled over at the handshake. Tsitsipas leaned in with a warning, his tone leaving little ambiguity: “Next time, don’t wonder why I hit you, OK?” He then added, “I’m just saying, if you serve underarm…” Altmaier, uninterested in escalating, raised his hand, turned, and walked away.

Later, Altmaier reflected on the exchange with composure. He admitted emotions were running high, but insisted he never intended to debate tactics in that charged moment, even if he’d lost. The German explained that the intensity of such matches requires space to cool down before words can carry any meaning. Three incidents. Three matches. Three very different contexts. Yet the common thread is unmistakable: at this US Open, the fiercest battles haven’t only been fought with rackets and strings, but with words, gestures, and expectations of respect.