An overjoyed Amanda Anisimova rules supreme in Beijing after coming out victorious in the China Open final, defeating Linda Noskova 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 to clinch her second WTA 1000 title while ending a streak of three final defeats.
Anisimova continues her imperious form, which has seen her reach two Grand Slam finals in the last few months. Karolina Muchova, Jasmine Paolini and last year's champion Coco Gauff were amongst the American's victims on the way to the final.
She matched up against young star Noskova, who survived match points in her semi-final tie against Jessica Pegula to reach her maiden WTA 1000 final, and was looking to force a seismic upset to heap more misery on the inform Anisimova.
It took just 22 minutes for the American to wrap up the first set, this time on the right-end of a 6-0 in a final. She won the first game to love, before clinching the first break of serve in the match, coming back from 40-30 down to go 2-0 ahead.
This procedure repeated itself twice more, with Anisimova playing some brilliant tennis, preventing Noskova from impacting the match in any fashion. The world number four broke once more to go 4-0 ahead and sealed the set with another break point on advantage, replicating the first two scenarios.
It looked like Anisimova would cruise to her second title of the year, following her triumph in Qatar. However, Noskova had other ideas, stealing a march on her opponent in the second set by taking her third break point in the process of streaking into a 2-0 lead. The 20-year-old kept Anisimova at arm's length, saving two break points before nicking another one to make it 5-2. She comfortably served out the second set to force a highly anticipated deciding set.
Noskova had completely turned this tie around after being blown away by Anisimova early on, and had the opportunity to go a break ahead, but failed to take her sole opportunity in the first set as Anisimova held. She went on to save a break point to level affairs at 2-2.
This would all be in vain, with Anisimova raising her game. She ominously broke to go 4-2 up, taking full command of procedures. Noskova will rue a missed chance of putting the match back on serve as Anisimova went 5-2 ahead before closing out the final on her opponent's serve with the first championship point on offer.
Lucas Michael is a tennis journalist based in Cambridge, UK, specializing in comprehensive coverage of the ATP and WTA tours. For the past 1.5 years, he has been a core contributor to TennisUpToDate, where he has authored more than 3,000 data-driven match reports, deep-dive analysis pieces, and engaging liveblogs.
Lucas pairs real-time statistical analysis with on-the-ground reporting, frequently traveling to tournaments to cover the action firsthand from the press box and player press conferences. This blend of advanced metrics and direct access allows him to provide sharp context regarding player form, tactical trends, and breaking tour developments.
He holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. Grounded in core journalistic ethics, Lucas places a strict emphasis on meticulous sourcing, editorial accuracy, and a commitment to updating live content swiftly as verified information emerges.