WTA 1000 Beijing: Anisimova Overcomes Muchova to Reach Quarterfinals

After a difficult first set, the American turned the situation around to win in a suspenseful match.

The second-to-last match of the day at the WTA 1000 Beijing tournament featured two top 15 players, Karolina Muchova and Amanda Anisimova, battling for a spot in the quarterfinals in the Chinese capital.

The American, world number 4, had eliminated Katie Boulter and Zhang Shuai to reach the round of 16, while the Czech had defeated Sorana Cirstea and Paula Badosa. After completely falling apart in her first set, Anisimova let her opponent take control and win the first set after just 27 minutes of play.

Already with her back against the wall, the Wimbledon and US Open finalist woke up, however, stringing together five consecutive games after trailing 6-1, 1-0. Logically, the 24-year-old player leveled the match.

The real battle took place in the deciding set between these two players. The third set, which lasted nearly an hour, saw both players engage in a true battle.

For a long time, the servers held the advantage, but Anisimova, after a forgettable start to the match, finally broke at the best moment, at 4-4, before confirming in the following game (1-6, 6-2, 6-4 in 2h01).

Anisimova defeats Muchova for the second time in as many encounters and advances to the quarterfinals where she will face Jasmine Paolini or Marie Bouzkova, who conclude the day's schedule on the center court. As for Muchova, she will lose the points from her final last year and temporarily drops out of the top 20 in the Live Rankings (21st).