Amanda Anisimova Admits She’s Ready to Test Iga Swiatek in Decisive WTA Finals Clash
Amanda Anisimova will face Iga Swiatek for the third time on tour at the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
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Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek (via X/The Tennis Letter)
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Amanda Anisimova revealed that she’s looking forward to her encounter with Iga Swiatek in the decisive third round robin match at the WTA Finals. Both players have won just one match at the tournament and will need a win to qualify as second in Serena Williams’ Group after Elena Rybakina sealed her semi-final qualification.
Anisimova made her debut at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday (November 1) against Rybakina. The American star struggled during the match, which led to her demolition in straight sets against the former Wimbledon champion. In her second match at the tournament, she made great changes to her game against Madison Keys.
Despite falling to her fellow compatriot and Australian Open in the first set, Anisimova found her rhythm in the second set, shifting the momentum with smarter shot selection and deeper returns, which caused Keys a lot of trouble. The 24-year-old came from behind to beat Keys 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to keep her semi-final hopes alive in Riyadh.
In the other second round robin match in Serena Williams Group, Rybakina also came from behind to beat Swiatek. That leaves Swiatek and Anisimova at the same point going into the final group match. The winner of the tie is certainly going to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament.
Currently, Anisimova and Swiatek hold a 1-1 head-to-head record on tour, with their two meetings this season. After Anisimova defeated Keys, she was asked about her upcoming clash against Swiatek during her on-court interview. The World No.4 revealed that the tournament has been a new experience for her but she looks forward to the tie:
It’s a new experience for me. It’s not easy, but I’m trying to get used to it, put up a fight, and do my best. Anyway, It’s going to be an interesting one. There’s going to be a lot on the line for both of us, so it’ll be a good challenge. I’m definitely looking forward to it. It’s not easy. but I’m doing my best.
Anisimova fell to Swiatek in their first meeting at the Wimbledon Championships final in July. There, Swiatek crushed the American 6-0, 6-0 to win her maiden grass-court Grand Slam. However, the 24-year-old got her revenge at the US Open in September, beating Swiatek 6-4, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.
Amanda Anisimova advises youngsters on how not to suffer burnout on tour
Amanda Anisimova made her Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros at the age of 15 and was dubbed one of the top stars. In fact, she cracked into the top 25 of the WTA rankings in 2022, but after a myriad of injury problems, she slipped down the rankings and took a break from the sport.
But since her return to tour, the 24-year-old has been playing remarkable tennis and this season reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals. During her interview with The Guardian, she revealed that current young players are dealing with the pressure of the WTA and ATP Tour better than she did:
I think it’s really important to let girls know, or boys, to make the right decisions for yourself and listen to yourself and not try and say yes to everything and feel like you have to do certain things. I think that’s a big killer in certain ways, is just feeling like you have to do certain things, and that can really lead to burnout. So that’s definitely something that I would have done differently.
Anisimova broke into the top 10 after finishing as runner-up at the Wimbledon Championships. She then went on to break into the top 5 of the WTA rankings after winning her second WTA 1000 title of the season at the China Open. The World No. 4 defeated Linda Noskova in three sets to win the championship.
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