By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, October 5, 2025
Photo credit: Greg Baker/AFP/Getty
Deep disappointments don’t deter Amanda Anisimova.
They only make her dig deeper.
Shrugging off a sloppy second set in today’s China Open final, Anisimova finished with a flourish.
Blasting a backhand bolt down the line, Anisimova dropped to the court in celebration defeating Linda Noskova 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 to capture her second WTA 1000 championship of the season in Beijing.
The fourth-ranked Anisimova rolled through the final four games seizing her fourth career title in one hour, 46 minutes.
“It’s been an incredible few weeks. I want to congratulate Linda, you’ve been playing amazing, you’re also so young still, so I’m sure we have a lot more finals to play,” Anisimova said. “Also since the first day I got here, I want to say thank you so much to the fans.
“Every single player has felt so much love here. It’s incredible, you guys are amazing, I felt so much love here for these two weeks.”
Contesting her ninth career final, Anisimova scored her third three-set win of this China Open after a 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Karolina Muchova and a 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinal conquest of No. 8 Jasmine Paolini.
Though Anisimova’s potent power, particularly off her damaging two-handed backhand, commands attention, she’s shown resilience throughout the best season of her career. Anisimova came back from suffering a humbling double-bagel thrashing to Iga Swiatek in her maiden major final at Wimbledon to reach the US Open final.
Disappointed by her 6-3, 7-6(3) loss to No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Flushing Meadows final, Anisimova bounced back in a big way winning her first tournament since that US Open final.
Doha champion Anisimova, who crushed defending champion Coco Gauff in a 58-minute semifinal, will leave Beijing both as world No. 4 and a qualifier for the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh.
Blown out in the opening set, Noskova reset charging through the second. Ultimately, the 20-year-old Czech had no answer for Anisimova’s jolting drives down the lines in the decider.
“I just want to congratulate Amanda who has been playing amazing for this whole year,” Noskova said. “I mean, these two weeks have been more than great.
“I definitely wasn’t coming here feeling I was going to play finals so it’s a nice surprise. Definitely a great tournament for my career.”
Noskova, who pulled off a heroic semifinal win yesterday, fell to 1-4 in career finals.
This Beijing title run reinforces Anisimova’s AA game is Artful Annihilation at its best.
Stamping a love break to open and set the tone, Anisimova banged a backhand crosscourt breaking for 2-0.
Dancing around her backhand, Anisimova cracked an inside out forehand winner for her second break and a 4-0 lead.
Whipping a wide ace, Anisimova issued another love hold for a 5-0 lead after just 17 minutes of play.
Though Noskova went up 40-love and was in position to stop the bleeding, Anisimova wasn’t having it.
The 24-year-old Floridian fired a jolting forehand pass that Noskova tried to smile off for set point.
Blasting a backhand return winner down the line, Anisimova snatched a one-set lead after 23 explosive minutes scoring her third break of a lopsided final.
It was the 10th career bagel Noskova endured.
Drained by fending off three match points to defeat Jessica Pegula 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 in a two hour, 28-minute battle yesterday, Noskova left the court to try to regroup.
Though Noskova won just three points on the American’s serve in the first set, she immediately tested Anisimova to start the second game. A smash preceded a double fault as Noskova earned her first break point.
Anisimova had scored 37 straight victories when winning the first set, but was in danger of going down a double break at love-30. Instead, she fired back holding for 1-2 after 43 minutes.
A recharged Noskova was moving better, jamming up Anisimova returning deep down the middle and taking her cracks when they came. Noskova rattled out an error for another break point in the seventh game.
Gulping some deep breaths of air, Anisimova sailed a backhand down the line—one of 17 unforced errors in the set—as Noskova scored her second break for 5-2.
The 26th-seeded Czech surged through her fourth consecutive hold ending the second set and forcing a decider after 67 minutes of play.
The backhand bolt down the line is Anisimova’s biggest weapon. She rocketed that shot and followed it with an ace holding at 15 for a 3-2 third-set lead.
Freezing Noskova with a forehand winner down the line, Anisimova drew successive errors scoring the crucial break for 4-2.
Facing a break point at 30-40, Anisimova whipped a wide ace to erase it then drew a couple of forehand errors sealing her third straight game for 5-2.
Crunching a crosscourt forehand brought Anisimova double championship point.
Fittingly, Anisimova closed her second WTA 1000 championship with her signature shot slamming that backhand winner down the line to end a one hour, 46-minute triumph.
The 24-year-old Anisimova improved to 45-23 in 2025, including a 20-4 mark since the start of Wimbledon, with five finals on the season. Will Anisimova, who has contested the last two major finals, be the next American to win a Grand Slam title? If she plays the dynamic tennis she showed for much of today’s final, she’s certainly in with a strong shot in 2026.
