Amanda Anisimova took a one-set deficit and turned it around on Monday in Riyadh.
The WTA Finals debutant won 11 of her last 13 games to knock compatriot Madison Keys (3-6, 6-3, 6-2) out of contention and set up a second-round winner’s battle with Iga Swiatek on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia.
“It’s very difficult to adjust, especially when you lose the first match,” Anisimova said of her WTA Finals experience so far. “It’s a new experience for me. It’s not easy, but I’m trying to get used to it, fight and do my best.”
Keys did not appear to be ill during the match, but she refused to shake hands with Anisimova after the match, apparently not wanting to spread an illness.
Keys led 3-1 in the second set but was broken three times in a row as Anisimova reeled off seven straight games to take control.
A temporary break, via hold of serve, followed, but Keys broke back for 4-1 and Anisimova remained unbroken in the final set, saving several break points as she served out the bout in one hour and 45 minutes.
“I had to make some adjustments for sure,” Anisimova said. “I was trying not to do it as much as I did in the beginning.”
Anisimova was broken three times in the opening set, once in the second and did not drop serve in the deciding set as she improved to 14-3 in deciding sets this year, compared to 4-8 last season and 34-42 all season prior to this year.
Anisimova’s win over Keys in their first ever meeting also made Elena Rybakina the winner of the Serena Williams Group. The former Wimbledon champion also reversed course on Monday, coming back from a set deficit to beat six-time major champion Iga Swiatek 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.
It was a day of stunning comebacks in Riyadh that sent shockwaves through the final WTA Championships of the season.
Rybakina will play a dead rubber with Keys on Wednesday, while Anisimova will meet Swiatek for the third time, the pair having split their two meetings at the warehouses this year.
Who can forget Swiatek’s 6-0, 6-0 thrashing of Anisimova in the Wimbledon final? It could have sent Anisimova spiraling, but instead it served as a source of inspiration. She would retire and pull out the pole en route to her second straight Grand Slam final at the US Open.
“It will be a good challenge and I’m looking forward to it,” said Anisimova.
Although she was split by Aryna Sabalenka in the final, the American showed her resilience in her best season on tour, which has seen her debut in the Top 10 and Top 5, while also claiming two 1000-level titles.
Swiatek will need to shake off a tough loss before facing Anisimova. She was clueless against Rybakina as she saw her four-set winning streak against her rival fade into a two-set storm.
The winner of their rubber match will advance to the Serena Williams Group runner-up, to face eventual Group winner Steffi Graf.
