Amanda Anisimova now has another large trophy to her breakout year. On Sunday, the American, aged 24, beat Czech rising star Linda Noskova, 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 to win the China Open women singles title, her second WTA 1000 Grand Slam of the year and fourth Grand Slam of her career.
Amanda Anisimova got off on the right foot and swept the first set in only 23 minutes. Noskova, who was in her first WTA 1000 final, rebound with the second set, but Anisimova recovered in the third. She completed the match 1 hour and 46 minutes later and won it by a backhand winner that was typical down the line.
Amanda Anisimova becomes only the third American tennis player to win the China Open since Serena Williams (2004, 2013) and Coco Gauff (2024). She is also the first player in the United States to win multiple WTA 1000 titles in one season since Williams in 2015.
In her speech at the trophy presentation, Anisimova admitted that this was a really special win and, before shouting out to her nephews at home, she thanked her team and family and noted her win. She also apologized to Noskova: You have been playing great and I am sure we have a lot more finals to play in.
The way Amanda Anisimova got to the title was not simple. She came back after going one set down against Karolina Muchova and Jasmine Paolini in consecutive matches after defeating Katie Boulter and Zhang Shuai. She upset defending champion and No. 2 seed Coco Gauff in the semifinals to secure her place in the final.
And her rule in Beijing was not without some impressive figures. She won 187 matches in the week – the second most consecutive wins in a WTA 1000 tournament so far this season.
To Noskova, the silver medal is an achievement. The 20-year-old rises to a career-high of No. 17 in the world rankings and gets ahead of Muchova as the Czech No. 1. She also rises to No. 15 in the Race to the WTA Finals, keeping her slender qualification hopes alive.
The players will now go directly to Wuhan to the final WTA 1000 of the season. Then Amanda Anisimova becomes concentrated on her debut at the WTA Finals in Riyadh where she will come as one of the hot players on tour.
Also Read: Coco Gauff Reacts After China Open Loss to Amanda Anisimova
Lions, Bills Dominate NFL Power Rankings, Chiefs Fall to Below.500