Amanda Anisimova had nothing but empathy for Mirra Andreeva after seeing the Russian burst into tears following their Dubai quarterfinal marathon as the American admitted that she was also close to tearing up toward the end.
Andreeva made the first move in the third set and opened a 3-1 lead but Anisimova offered a swift response, winning the next four games to go 5-3 in front. However, the Russian refused to quit as she stunningly saved a match point and broke twice the American to go from being on the brink of a loss to having a chance to serve out for the match.
Then, another major twist happened as Anisimova got the break back to force a tie-break – where the second-seeded American won five points in a row to open a 5-1 lead before converting her fourth match point to complete a 2-6 7-5 7-6 (4) after two hours and 38 minutes of action.
Moments after losing the match, defending Dubai champion Andreeva bent over – held to her knees – and started crying.
The emotions after Amanda Anisimova & Mirra Andreeva’s match in Dubai.
Mirra is in tears 💔
It would’ve been heartbreak if either one of them lost this match
Mirra came back from 3-5 in the 3rd set & served for the match
After almost 3 hours of tennis, they share a warm hug… pic.twitter.com/Fpu8yBTcLc
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 19, 2026
Anisimova: Andreeva being emotional is understandable… I was almost in tears as well
“I was almost in tears there at the end. It was such a tough battle I thought we played incredible tennis. Seeing Mirra down like that, it’s understandable. We both fought so hard today. It made me emotional seeing her like that. She was playing so well. She’s the defending champion. I feel like we both won on the court today," the 2025 Wimbledon and US Open finalist said in her on-court interview.
Amanda Anisimova had kind words for Mirra Andreeva after beating her in Dubai
“I was almost in tears there at the end. It was such a tough battle I thought we played incredible tennis. Seeing Mirra down like that, it’s understandable. We both fought so hard today. It made me… pic.twitter.com/9wrNETDO5j
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 19, 2026
Anisimova will return to the court on Friday to face No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula in the Dubai semifinal.
