Amanda Anisimova mounts stunning comeback at WTA Finals to eliminate Keys and keep semifinal hopes alive

Amanda Anisimova achieved a notable comeback victory against Madison Keys in the WTA Finals Round Robin, keeping her hopes alive in her debut appearance at the tournament featuring the eight best players of the season. The World No. 4 battled back from a break down in the second set to ultimately secure the win with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

In doing so, Anisimova did a favor for Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, who will enter the final day with her spot in the semifinals secured (after defeating Swiatek in three sets). Consequently, Anisimova and Swiatek will compete for the second semifinal spot, while Keys is mathematically eliminated from the tournament.

This was the first-ever meeting between Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova, two of the tour's heavy hitters, after both had suffered crushing defeats in their Riyadh debuts. Keys had only managed to win three games against Swiatek, while Anisimova only rescued four games against Rybakina.

The first set began as a rollercoaster, with neither player convincing on serve. Keys was the first to break, starting a streak of four breaks in a row up to 2-2. Both players converted 2/2 break opportunities, suggesting that serve would be a problem throughout the day.

However, things stabilized when Anisimova successfully defended her first service game at 2-3. Keys followed suit, and both held their service games without complications for several games. Things changed when the score reached 4-4. The Australian Open champion, Keys, won eight of the last nine points contested, including a crucial break, and closed the set 6-4 after 36 minutes.

The second set began in favor of Keys after she secured an early break—extending her streak of consecutive games to five. The Australian Open champion managed to hold the advantage for a couple of games, moving ahead to a 3-1 lead.

However, things were reversed from that moment onward, with an increasingly convincing Anisimova on her first serve (82%) who managed to keep pace in the rallies, looking especially aggressive in searching for winners. The two-time Grand Slam runner-up chained together five consecutive games to take the second set 6-3, completing a strong comeback.

In the third set, Anisimova maintained the momentum from the start, although she faced a few issues when trying to close out the victory. The recent China Open champion took an early break and then used her serve to move ahead to 2-0. Keys' subsequent clean service game was of little use, as she could do little against her opponent in the following games.

Keys won barely 50% of the points on her first serve, far from Anisimova's dominant 88%, who moved ahead with a double break for a 5-1 lead. The 24-year-old had won ten of the last eleven games and was ready to close out the match. Keys managed one last hold, and even squandered a couple of break opportunities in a disputed final game, but Anisimova ultimately secured the victory 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Anisimova did a crucial favor for Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, who has secured her place in the semifinals before the final day of group play. Rybakina secured her spot after a notable victory against Swiatek in an intense three-set match, which followed her debut win against Anisimova herself.

As a result of these scores, the final battle for the second semifinal berth will focus on the highly anticipated match between Anisimova and Swiatek. Meanwhile, Keys is mathematically eliminated from the tournament, with no chance of advancing. This scenario sets up a thrilling conclusion to the group stage to determine the second qualifier.