Amanda Anisimova completes WTA Finals comeback against Iga Swiatek to seal semifinal berth
Anisimova handed Swiatek a second straight loss from a set ahead to take the semifinal spot, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2.
Amanda Anisimova saved her best against Iga Swiatek for last.
In a winner-take-all match on Wednesday at the WTA Finals in Riyadh that would assure the victor a spot in the semifinals, the American rallied from a one-set deficit to claim a 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 win against Swiatek, putting her through to the knockout rounds in her year-end debut.
In two hours and 36 minutes, Anisimova secured herself a second-place finish in the Serena Williams Group behind Elena Rybakina, who finished round-robin play with a 3-0 record after defeating alternate Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-4 following Madison Keys' withdrawal due to illness.
After winning the 2023 year-end title, Swiatek has now been eliminated in the round-robin stage in back-to-back years.
Read more: Iga Swiatek ponders “karma” after WTA Finals exit, Amanda Anisimova defeat
After losing a historic 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon final to Swiatek in July, Anisimova has now beaten her twice in a row: first at the US Open, and most impressively in Riyadh in her 15th three-set victory of the year. She has won her last 13 such matches.
Already down a set, Anisimova escaped a 1-1 service game in which she faced three break points, and eventually, broke Swiatek for the first time all match in the final game of the second set.
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"I think I just enjoyed it throughout and really just embraced the challenge," she said, confessing that fewer unforced errors and higher-percentage serving were key in turning things around.
She is the fourth player in the last five years to reach the semifinals at the year-end championships after losing her opening match, and will face the winner of the Stefanie Graf Group in the final four: one of Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, or Jessica Pegula.
"I feel like with each match that I've played here, my confidence has increased, and I'm getting used to the conditions in the court," she said. "I feel like I was struggling in the beginning when I got here, and now I feel like I'm able to play with the court better and figure out how to use it to my advantage. I think that's super important with the way I was able to play and the level I was showing today for my next round."
"Anyone I'm gonna play is gonna be a tough match-up, for me," she added. "It would be awesome to play an American or to play the number one Aryna. I mean, either way, it's going to be exciting."