(VIDEO) Emotional Andreeva can’t hide tears after falling to Anisimova in Dubai

Mirra Andreeva left in tears after her harsh defeat in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships against Amanda Anisimova, unable to defend her title. The 18-year-old recovered from a match point and served for the win, but ultimately fell in the third-set tie-break 6-2, 5-7, 6-7(4).

The Russian player already had a streak of 7 consecutive wins in Dubai and had advanced through the rounds this time without issues. Andreeva’s campaign took time to start, after receiving a bye in the first round – and advancing from the second round without stepping onto the court, following the withdrawal of her friend Daria Kasatkina due to injury.

She needed only a single victory against Jaqueline Cristian (7-5, 6-3) to reach the quarterfinals against a complicated rival like Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) – second seed and two-time WTA 1000 champion.

Andreeva squandered a break advantage in the second set – when she was leading 6-2, 2-0. After Anisimova’s recovery, the third set became a rollercoaster, with Anisimova taking a 3-1 lead – before losing four consecutive games. Andreeva faced a match point on Anisimova’s serve, but came back to lead 6-5 in the third set, serving for the match. The 18-year-old teenager could not take advantage of her opportunity, and Anisimova broke to send everything to a tie-break. There, the American grew strong, and on her fourth match point of the contest she sealed the victory, advancing to the semifinals after 2 hours and 40 minutes of battle.

It was absolute heartbreak for Andreeva, who was looking to defend her first WTA 1000 title. The Russian left the court in tears after the win slipped away.

Andreeva loses 785 of the 1,000 points she had earned a year ago, and will fall in the rankings to No. 8. In two weeks she will defend the title at Indian Wells, and if she does not have at least a deep run, her spot in the top 10 could be in danger – with several Canadians waiting for a chance to enter the elite group.

The same Anisimova was moved by her rival’s tears and admitted she too was close to crying seeing Andreeva’s reaction. “I was almost in tears there at the end,” said the two-time Grand Slam finalist. “It was such a tough battle. I thought we played incredible tennis. Seeing Mirra down like that, it’s understandable.

“We both fought so hard today,” added the American, who reaches the semifinals of a WTA 1000 for the fourth time in her career. “It made me emotional seeing her like that. She was playing so well. She’s the defending champion. I feel like we both won on the court today.”

Anisimova will now face her semifinal rival, unless the fourth seed Jessica Pegula, who has demonstrated her hierarchy and experience, advancing over complicated rivals like Iva Jovic and 2025 Dubai runner-up Clara Tauson. It will be the fifth meeting between the two Americans, with Pegula dominating the H2H 4-0. Their last clash was just a few weeks ago in the Australian Open semifinals, where Pegula took the victory in straight sets.