Mirra Andreeva looked absolutely heartbroken after losing a Dubai quarterfinal thriller to Amanda Anisimova as the 18-year-old bent over, put her hands on her knees, and started to cry.
The second Tour meeting between defending Dubai champion Andreeva and No. 2 seed Anisimova didn't disappoint. The third set was quite something as it featured incredible drama before Anisimova earned a narrow 2-6 7-5 7-6 (4) win in two hours and 38 minutes of play.
Early in the match, it was all Andreeva since the Russian comfortably led 6-2 2-0. Then, Anisimova stormed back to take the second set.
Andreeva bounced back at the start of the third set, opening a 3-1 lead but that was short-lived since Anisimova took the next four games and turned the score to 5-3 in her favor. Facing a match point and being on the brink of elimination, the defending champion responded by claiming back-to-back breaks – winning the next three games – and giving herself a chance to serve out for the match at 6-5.
But just when it seemed that the whole momentum was on the Russian's side, the defending champion failed to serve out the match and lost five points in a row in the tie-break before the American converted her fourth match to close out the match.
Andreeva bursts into tears, Anisimova gives her a hug
Moments after sending a backhand wide on Anisimova's match point, the 18-year-old burst into tears. Once they got to the net, the American rival tried to console her by giving her a hug.
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
Andreeva being emotional after such a tough loss shouldn't be a surprise, especially knowing that this was her first time defending a WTA 1000 title.
