In a nail-biting third-round match at the China Open in Beijing, 24-year-old American Amanda Anisimova edged out Chinese player Zhang Shuai with a 7-6(15), 6-0 victory on Sunday. The clash marked their second career meeting, after Anisimova also triumphed in their only previous encounter in 2018.
Zhang, the home veteran, stormed ahead in the first set, breaking serve with a sizzling forehand winner to lead 5-3. But Anisimova rallied, forcing a tiebreak where she saved an astonishing five set points. At 10-10, a backhand winner leveled the session, and after a tense exchange of match points, Anisimova closed out the tiebreak 15-13 to claim the opener.
The American carried that momentum into the second set, unleashing a barrage of backhand winners and serving an ace to seal a dominant 6-0 set. It was another milestone for Anisimova1now ranked a career-high world No. 41who became the third player born since 2000 to win 150 Tour-level matches, joining Polands Iga Swiatek and U.S. compatriot Coco Gauff.
Fresh from back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, Anisimova has ridden her best season yet. After taking a break in 2023 and returning at Wimbledon with a ranking of 189, she has skyrocketed up the charts and will now face Czech Karolina Muchova in the round of 16.
"My physical condition was not very good this time, so I could not play as well as in the first two rounds," Zhang admitted after the match. "Facing a tough opponent, I told myself to play hard and avoid being swept away. I just tried my best here, but I ran out of energy."
Reference(s):
Anisimova edges home veteran Zhang Shuai in third round of China Open
cgtn.com
