In a nail-biter at the China Open in Beijing, 24-year-old American talent Amanda Anisimova edged home favorite Zhang Shuai with a 15-13 tiebreak win and a dominant 6-0 second set. 🎾
Zhang, the 36-year-old crowd-pleaser, stormed ahead early in the first set, breaking Anisimova at 5-3 with a fierce forehand. But Anisimova, fresh off back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, fought back to force the set into a tiebreak. After battling through five set points, Zhang even hit one of her own, only for Anisimova to land a clutch backhand winner to tie it at 10-10.
The tight mini-match — known as a tiebreaker, basically a bonus game to settle a 6-6 tie — saw the American finally seal it 15-13. She then carried that momentum into the second set, cruising to a 6-0 win and serving an ace to close it out.
This season has been Anisimova’s breakout year: after a break in 2023 and a comeback at Wimbledon with a rank of 189, she’s surged to a career-high World No. 4. She’s also the third player born since 2000 to hit 150 Tour-level match wins, joining fellow stars Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.
Up next for Anisimova is a round-of-16 clash with Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Zhang reflected post-match, "My physical condition was not very good this time, so I could not play as well as in the first two rounds. Facing a tough opponent, I told myself to play hard and avoid being swept away… I just tried my best here, but I ran out of energy."
Get ready for more fireworks as the action heats up in Beijing!
Reference(s):
Anisimova edges home veteran Zhang Shuai in third round of China Open
cgtn.com
