Amanda Anisimova is figuring out finals. After losing three in a row, Anisimova overcame a second-set wobble and got past a tiring Linda Nosková 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 to win the China Open in Beijing.
When Anisimova won the first set in under half an hour, it looked as though the huge disparity in how the American and Nosková won their semifinals would define Sunday’s match. Anisimova rolled Coco Gauff for the loss of just three games, while Nosková saved three match points in beating Jessica Pegula in three sets and just under two and a half hours. Anisimova swung for the lines as she had done against Gauff, while Nosková’s body language suggested that the match would be over in short order.
Instead, the Czech world No. 27 recovered from tennis’ ultimate indignity to test Anisimova’s resolve. Nosková won her first game of the match by breaking the 24-year-old’s serve and from there, Anisimova spent most of the second set gesticulating to her box or to herself, self-correcting her positioning or her shot margin after points were lost. Nosková held all the momentum going into the final set, with Anisimova saving a break point in the opening game.
But Nosková slowly started missing rally balls, including a succession of second-serve returns. Anisimova simultaneously rediscovered her stride, and she broke in the sixth and eighth games to clinch her second WTA 1000 title of the year and of her career, sealing it with a trademark backhand blast down the line.
Amanda Anisimova’s winning moment 🏆
She is crowned the best in Beijing 🙌#2025ChinaOpenpic.twitter.com/ssozsKsckl
— wta (@WTA) October 5, 2025
“What a two weeks it’s been,” Anisimova said in her on-court interview. “We’ve had a lot of challenges, and despite that we also have so much fun … It’s crazy we made it this far and to get the win today has made it really special. Thank you for sharing that with me.”
The win sees Anisimova overtake Gauff as No. 3 in the WTA Race, which counts ranking points won in 2025. Her first three-set win in a final since 2022 also improves her WTA Tour final record to 4-5. Next for both players is the Wuhan Open, which Nosková will enter as the highest-ranked Czech player on the WTA Tour, overtaking Karolína Muchová.
Anisimova is drawn to face either Varvara Gracheva or Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro in the second round, while Nosková will play Yulia Putintseva in the opening round of the 56-player tournament, which began on Saturday.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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