Amanda Anisimova qualifies for WTA Finals in Riyadh after battling into semifinals in Beijing

Amanda Anisimova has battled into the semifinals of the China Open in Beijing, defeating Jasmine Paolini in a thriller in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event on Thursday, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4.

And with that win, Anisimova qualifies for the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

It’s been a season of breakthroughs for the American, and it began in February, when she won her first WTA 1000 title in Doha, which propelled her into the Top 20 for the first time. Then, her biggest breakthroughs—she made her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, after which she made her Top 10 debut, then her second Grand Slam final at the US Open, after which she made her Top 5 debut.

And now, she’ll play the WTA Finals for the first time in her career.

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In an all-Top 10 clash between the No. 4-ranked Anisimova and the No. 8-ranked Paolini, there was very little between them from the start of the match, with Paolini battling back from 5-3 down to sneak out the first set in a tie-break after exactly an hour on court.

Anisimova came out swinging in the second set, opening up a 4-0, double-break lead, and eventually closing it out, 6-3, to send it into a third set. She then broke in the first game of the decider.

Paolini found her best tennis again from there, breaking right back for 1-all and having all kinds of chances the rest of the way—Anisimova had to fight off a break point serving at 1-2, and another six break points serving at 3-4. But she fended them all off, held for 4-all, broke for 5-4 and then served the match out at love.

"It had been a while since I'd played her," said Anisimova, who had won the pair's only previous meeting on clay in Parma, Italy in 2021.

"And today, it had everything."

Awaiting the No. 3-seeded Anisimova in the semifinals will be No. 2-seeded countrywoman Coco Gauff, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over surprise quarterfinalist Eva Lys of Germany earlier in the day.

And it's been a while since Anisimova's played Gauff, too.

They're 1-1 against each other, with Gauff winning in—coincidentally—Parma, Italy in 2021, 6-3, 6-3, before Anisimova got revenge on grass in the third round of Wimbledon in 2022, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-1.

This will be their first career meeting on hard courts.