Amanda Anisimova halted Mirra Andreeva`s impressive 13-match win streak with a captivating victory in the Miami Open`s third round on Sunday night. Anisimova won 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-3.
In a highly anticipated match between two of the season`s standout players, Amanda Anisimova, seeded No. 17, prevailed over World No. 6 Mirra Andreeva in a hard-fought battle lasting 2 hours and 49 minutes. This win marks Anisimova`s tenth career victory against a Top 10 player.
Key points from the match:
WTA 1000 Champion Showdown
This third-round match was notable as it featured the only two players who have claimed WTA 1000 titles this season. Anisimova, who was unseeded, won the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha, the first WTA 1000 event of the year.
Following that, Andreeva dominated the subsequent WTA 1000 events, securing victories in Dubai and Indian Wells consecutively. The 17-year-old had her sights set on becoming the first teenager to achieve the Sunshine Double.
However, Anisimova rediscovered her Doha form, successfully keeping the in-form Andreeva at bay in Miami. Currently at a career-high ranking of No. 17, the 23-year-old Floridian has reached the Round of 16 at her home tournament for the first time.
Key Break Points Saved
The match was closely contested from the start. Andreeva served for the first set at 5-4 but was broken to love, allowing Anisimova to eventually win in a tiebreak. Andreeva then rebounded strongly to dominate the second set.
In the third set, Andreeva had two break points to take an early 2-0 lead. However, Anisimova`s aggressive play emerged, with strong serves and overhead winners to deny these opportunities and level the score at 1-1.
This momentum shift proved crucial in the next game, where Anisimova surged to a 0-40 lead and secured a break for 2-1, which turned out to be the decisive break in the final set.
Andreeva had two more break points in Anisimova`s subsequent service game, but Anisimova again unleashed powerful shots to fend them off – a backhand crosscourt winner and a forehand winner – securing her path to victory.
Both players broke serve four times during the match, but Anisimova demonstrated a better break point conversion rate overall (4 out of 9 compared to Andreeva`s 4 out of 16). Notably, Anisimova effectively defended all four break points she faced in the final set.
Raducanu Awaits
Anisimova is now set to face a resurgent Emma Raducanu for a place in the quarterfinals. Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, advanced after McCartney Kessler retired due to injury in their third-round match.
Raducanu, a former World No. 10, is enjoying a strong run in Miami, including a notable win against Emma Navarro in the second round. This week marks the first time Raducanu has won three consecutive matches at a Hologic WTA Tour or Grand Slam event since Wimbledon last year.
Emma Raducanu and Amanda Anisimova have previously played at the Australian Open earlier this year, where Raducanu won 6-3, 7-5 in the second round.
To be updated…