Anisimova survives tiebreak marathon to advance in Beijing

The floodlights in Beijing cut through the autumn chill as Amanda Anisimova traded blows with Shuai Zhang, the veteran’s grit turning the court into a pressure cooker from the opening point. The No. 3 seed, carrying the weight of a demanding season, faced an opponent whose career resurgence last year had made her a wildcard threat on these hard courts. What emerged was a 7-6(11), 6-0 victory that lasted 1 hour and 27 minutes, splitting the match into a grueling survival and a commanding rout, propelling the American into the Round of 16 for the second straight year.

First set demands mental steel

Zhang seized control early, her underspin slices skidding low across the hard surface to claim eight of the first 10 points and forge a 5-3 lead in a set that dragged on for 63 minutes. Anisimova, teetering on the edge of defeat, sparked a comeback with three straight games, her forehand inside-out shots pinning the Chinese player deep and disrupting the rhythm. The tiebreak unfolded as a 24-point epic—the longest of Anisimova’s tour-level career—where leads flipped wildly: she raced to 4-0, then 5-1 and 6-2, only for nine set points to slip away, five for the American and four for her foe. At 11-11, the World No. 4 unleashed a forehand too heavy to retrieve, capping it with a down-the-line winner that echoed through the stadium, the crowd’s roar swelling as tension broke. This wasn’t just a hold; it was a psychological pivot, Zhang later revealing she battled physical limitations that sapped her edge. The American’s returns hugged the lines with precision, neutralizing serves and forcing errors in the rally’s heat.

Second set surges with tactical fire

Freed from the opener’s shadows, Anisimova imposed her will, her one–two combinations of serve and crosscourt forehand overwhelming Zhang in a 6-0 blanking that felt like a release. The hard courts amplified her flat groundstrokes, the low bounce turning slices into liabilities for the veteran, who scrambled without answers as inside-in approaches rushed her to the net. Movement sharpened under the lights, each point a step away from seasonal strain, the ball’s crisp thud marking her growing poise. This dominance highlighted adjustments born of necessity: varying depths to counter early disruption, then pouncing with aggressive patterns that exploited Beijing’s pace. The Chinese player’s valiant effort faded against the onslaught, her backhand redirects no match for the American’s forehand depth. As the final game closed, Anisimova’s fist pump cut the night air, a quiet affirmation amid the tournament’s unfolding drama—for its pulse, the Beijing Scores capture every shift, the Draws map the road forward, and the Order of play dictates the daily stakes.

Clutch form hints at deeper run

The triumph extended Anisimova’s sharp trends, pushing her to 9-3 in tiebreak sets for 2025 and a perfect 11-0 in WTA 1000 matches after claiming the first set, numbers that underscore a player thriving in the fire. It also marked her 150th career win at Hologic WTA Tour level, the third such milestone for anyone born since 2000, trailing only Iga Świątek and Coco Gauff in that rare company. These markers whisper of resilience forged in pressure, her forehand a constant in the chaos. Zhang’s quarterfinal run here last year had revived her spark, but tonight’s matchup exposed the gaps against top-tier power. Anisimova’s evolution—blending mental fortitude with surface savvy—positions her for more, the Round of 16 a launchpad under these storied lights, where every baseline skirmish could bend her season’s arc toward triumph.