"I feel like it’s taken me 10 years" - Anisimova shares relief after finally dethroning Pegula but regrets it coming in exhibition

Amanda Anisimova has finally gotten over the line against a recent foe Jessica Pegula at the Miami Invitational exhibition. She completed the win with a commanding 6-2, 7-5 scoreline.

The duo stepped out onto the court for the fifth time in Florida at the MLB (baseball) stadium as loanDepot Park. While the location was a unique one, the result would also be different compared to the previous history between the pair. This came as recently as the day before, when they clashed in Newark, New Jersey, at A Racquet at The Rock. It went to a final tiebreak in which Pegula just got over the line 10-8. Anisimova's chance for revenge could not have come quicker.

The world number four showed her class to storm out into the lead, taking the first set by a large margin. She then found herself a break up, but was pegged back by the defiant American. Pegula had created a reputation in the Asian swing for coming through tight matches, regularly coming out on top in three set tussles. Fortunately for the 24-year-old, she managed to hold on, breaking late to finally secure a win over Pegula.

"Yeah, I feel like it’s taken me 10 years, so it’s really nice to be standing here today," she said after the match. "No, I’m kidding. But yeah, I mean, Jess is an incredible player, and it’s always such a tough match playing against her—even at the exhibitions. We played in Jersey last night; I don’t know if you guys got a chance to catch that. And yeah, we had another great match today, so it’s always a lot of fun."

While this victory is an important one, it is not of any use for Anisimova aside from bragging rights. "Oh my God, you’re asking this like we’re back at the tournaments—we’re still not there yet," she laughed. "I don’t know. I mean, I love playing here in Miami. So maybe because of that—and I had my home crowd here—and yeah, I’m just really excited to be here. It’s super special to play here at home."

Despite being on the receiving end of a first loss to her rival, Pegula was taking up the atmosphere and that they are playing in a baseball stadium. "That’s pretty special. Yeah, it’s honestly kind of interesting," she said. "It feels like a baseball game—the kind of buzz and the chatter throughout the entire stadium. It’s really, really cool. So I do kind of feel like we’re almost at a baseball game, and I love that because I love going to baseball games. So it’s really cool."

Their rivalry has gone all the way back to 2020 when they first met at the Cincinnati Open. Pegula would make it to her maiden WTA 1000 quarter-final in this event, slicing her way past her fellow countrywoman in a 7-5, 6-2 triumph.

It would not be until 2024 when they would lock horns again in the Charleston Open round-of-32. Anisimova took an unexpected lead but was dragged back by a determined Pegula, who made a run to the semi-finals. Their third meeting would be the first one outside of the USA in the Canadian Open. It would also be a hugely important match, with it being the final. Pegula was the defending champion but found herself a set down to Anisimova determined to break new ground. Despite squandering numerous match points, Pegula eventually claimed the title in Toronto.

Surprisingly, that is their final competitive meeting, aside from the two recent exhibition matches. They are poised to once again meet up in some of the biggest events on the WTA calendar in 2026.