Anisimova ignites comeback to advance in Beijing

The center court in Beijing pulsed with tension as Amanda Anisimova absorbed the early fury of Karolina Muchova, the Czech's flat backhands slicing crosscourt to claim the first set 6-1 in a whirlwind of pace and precision. Shadows lengthened across the hard courts, where the ball's true bounce amplified every error, but Anisimova steadied her feet, her returns deepening as the second set dawned. Breaking serve twice with inside-out forehands that hugged the lines, she leveled the match, her one–two patterns—serve into underspin backhand—beginning to disrupt the rhythm that had pinned her back. ### Flipping the script on familiar doubts Muchova's aggressive inside-in approaches had exploited Anisimova's positioning early, forcing hurried replies that scattered wide, a echo of past hard-court struggles. Yet the American recalibrated, stepping inside the baseline to redirect pace with crosscourt counters, her persistence cracking the Czech's serve in the decider's ninth game after a string of holds. She sealed the 6-4 third set on her own delivery, a triumph that shattered an 11-match losing streak against top-20 opponents dating to 2022, extending her tour-level edge over Muchova to 2-0. This victory, her seventh quarterfinal of 2025, carried the weight of redemption, the crowd's rising cheers mirroring the fire reigniting in her strokes. ### Riding a surge since summer's greens Anisimova's form has built steadily since June's grass season, where she racked up 23 wins, second only to Iga Swiatek's tour-leading total. Those finals at Wimbledon and the US Open linger like momentum's afterglow, transforming raw power into tactical depth on these unforgiving hard courts, where spin bites less and flat shots rule. Her game now layers underspin slices with down-the-line lasers, keeping rallies alive while probing weaknesses, the Beijing air thick with the scent of possibility as she consolidates points under the lights. Each match adds to a narrative of quiet ascent, her ranking climbing with every hold that defies the surface's speed. ### Paolini's poise sets up tense quarters Sixth-seeded Jasmine Paolini awaits, fresh from a 6-2, 7-5 grind over Marie Bouzkova, where the Italian repelled two match points in the second set's 10th game and fended off break chances in the 11th to close it out. Paolini's compact footwork thrives in baseline exchanges, her flat returns pulling opponents off-balance, much like the threats Anisimova just navigated. The American holds a 1-0 head-to-head lead from their 2021 Parma straight-sets clash on clay, but this hard-court duel demands fresh edges—Anisimova's forehand depth against Paolini's scrambling defense. As October's chill sharpens the air, their semifinal stakes promise a clash of resurgent spirits, where mental fortitude could tip the scales in Beijing's late-season heat.