Uchijima shows iron grit in Antalya comeback to set up Kalinina final

Moyuka Uchijima reached her first final of the season at the Megasaray Hotels Open in Antalya, overcoming a set and a break deficit to defeat Mayar Sherif 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in a three-hour marathon.

The semi-final clash between the No. 3 and No. 5 seeds was a masterclass in attrition, played under the intense Turkish sun. Uchijima, the world No. 104, entered the match without having dropped a set all week, after clinical dismissals of Despina Papamichail, Anastasia Gasanova, and Katarzyna Kawa.

However, that streak was quickly snapped by Mayar Sherif’s heavy topspin and tactical aggression, which allowed the Egyptian to claim the opening set 6-4.

The match appeared to be slipping away from Uchijima in the second set, but the Japanese star’s baseline resilience became the defining factor. She began to find deeper angles, moving Sherif, who had survived a three-set battle against Amarissa Toth earlier in the tournament, out of her comfort zone.

Uchijima snatched the second set 7-5 and maintained her composure in a physical decider, eventually breaking Sherif in the final game to seal her place in the final.

This victory sets up a high-stakes championship match against Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina. For Uchijima, the final represents a crucial opportunity to break back into the Top 100, while her performance this week underscores her status as one of the most dangerous competitors on the clay-court swing of the WTA 125 series