Third-seeded Amanda Anisimova dominated No. 2 Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the finals of the China Open in Beijing on Saturday, ending Gauff’s run at a repeat title.
Anisimova needed just 58 minutes to win her semifinal after her previous two matches went to three sets. It was a dominant showing from the onset, with Anisimova winning the first five games and nearly opening with a 6-0 set before Gauff saved two set points to win a solitary game.
The story was the same in the second set, when Anisimova broke Gauff three times and opened another 5-0 lead. Gauff stayed alive with her lone break of the match and then won a service game before Anisimova closed out a win in her first match against Gauff since Wimbledon in 2022.
“I was able to put on a really good performance,” Anisimova said after the match. “I knew I was going to have to play really well against Coco if I wanted to get the win and I’m really excited to be in the final.”
While Gauff had the only two aces of the match, she also had five double faults and struggled on her serve throughout the match. Anisimova won a staggering 85 percent of her first-service points (28 of 33) while Gauff won just 39 percent of her own (11 of 28).
Anisimova converted five of her eight break points and faced just three all match.
“She played well,” Gauff said of Anisimova in her post-match press conference. “I felt like I couldn’t really have a chance of getting a rhythm out there.”
With the win, Anisimova is through to her fifth tour-level final of the season. She’ll face off against Czech competitor Linda Noskova, who prevented an all-American final by beating No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (6).
Pegula was on the brink of the win when she had three match points while serving for the match up 6-5 in the deciding set. But No. 26 Noskova defended all three and then rallied from 3-1 and 5-4 deficits in the tiebreaker to reach her first career WTA 1000 final.
Noskova overcame seven double faults with 11 aces and saved 10 of the 15 break points she faced.
Anisimova and Noskova have split their two career matchups, the most recent of which Anisimova won this summer in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon.
If Anisimova wins the title, she’ll pass Gauff and take the No. 3 spot in the WTA rankings.
–Field Level Media
