Amanda Anisimova stays ice-cold to beat Wang and reach Australian Open quarterfinals

Amanda Anisimova continues to advance at the Australian Open after securing victory in her clash against Xinyu Wang by 7-6(4), 6-4, a result that sends her through to the quarterfinals of the tournament. The American reaches 16 wins in her last 18 appearances at Grand Slam tournaments and shows why she reached the final in the last two majors she contested.

The world No. 4 had come through straightforward wins during the first week against Iona Waltert (6-3, 6-2), Katerina Siniaková (6-1, 6-4) and Peyton Stearns (6-1, 6-4). This time, however, she was forced into a tie-break and encountered a resilient Wang, who fought until the final point in search of a comeback, but Anisimova simply did not lose her composure on serve.

Anisimova joins the last eight as the fourth American in the quarterfinals, alongside Coco Gauff, Iva Jovic and Jessica Pegula — with the latter set to be her next opponent as they battle for a place in the semifinals.

On the other side, Wang leaves with an important rise in the rankings to world No. 33 — just one spot below her career-high ranking. At 24 years old, she is also beginning to threaten the dominance of Zheng Qinwen as China’s No. 1 — with Zheng currently sidelined by injury and ranked No. 26.

In the first set, both players showed consistency on serve — especially Anisimova, who won 81% of points on her first serve and 78% on her second, becoming almost unbreakable for Wang. The Chinese player managed to keep pace with her rival and was forced to save break points at 2-3 and again at 4-5 — the latter also a set point for Anisimova.

In the end, everything stretched to a tie-break, where Anisimova won four of the final five points to take the opening set 7-6(4).

It had been a strong battle from Wang, who resisted giving in to Anisimova’s favouritism. Barely into the second set, Anisimova created up to five break opportunities before finally converting and taking the lead. However, it did not take long for Wang to respond, earning the immediate break back — on her first chance of the match — restoring parity at 1-1.

Nevertheless, once again Wang was unable to hold serve and ended up handing the advantage back to Anisimova. This time, the American made the most of it and held onto her serve until the end of the set, without managing much from the return games.

Anisimova conceded just six points on serve in the second set, winning an impressive 74% of service points — well above her opponent’s 56%.

Anisimova showed some urgency in the closing stages as she looked to go in search of the win, with a few unforced errors appearing along with visible frustration at the high level and calm mindset displayed by Wang. Even so, she stayed focused to seal the victory 7-6(4), 6-4 and secure a place in the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time.

In previous years, she had fallen three times in the fourth round (2019, 2022, 2024), but this time Anisimova earned her personal revenge to break into the last eight.

With the new victory, Anisimova joins the quarterfinals as the fourth American player, alongside Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Iva Jovic. In the quarterfinals, she will face 30-year-old Pegula — who is making her fourth appearance in the Australian Open quarterfinals, but has never reached the semifinals.

Anisimova is fully in contention to become American No. 1 — although this will also depend on Coco Gauff, who remains in the draw and will face Elina Svitolina for a place in the semifinals.

If Anisimova were eliminated in the quarterfinals, Gauff would need at least a place in the final to surpass her. If Anisimova reaches the semifinals or the final, Gauff would only be able to retain her position by winning the title, should she want to avoid surrendering her top-three spot and her status as the leader of American tennis.