"It feels amazing," said Amanda Anisimova soon after becoming the first American player to defeat six top-40 opponents in a single event since Serena Williams at the Australian Open 2007 on her way to a memorable triumph in the WTA 1000 Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha on Saturday.
Anisimova continued her resurgence by winning the highest-level title of her career with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Jelena Ostapenko in the final, putting perfect icing on the cake.
It's been such an incredible week here. I think every match has been very tough. I'm just super happy with my performances and my level here, and to be able to get my first 1000 title is really special to me.
Anisimova said after her superb victory
In the first Doha final to feature two players ranked outside the Top 30, it was former World No. 21 Anisimova who prevailed in a big-hitting battle that lasted 1 hour and 21 minutes of on-court action, along with two short rain delays on a drizzly day in Doha.
Ranked No. 213 just twelve months ago, Anisimova reached her first career WTA 1000 final last summer in Toronto and has now gone one better this week. Currently ranked 41st in the world, the American now finds herself on the brink of a potential Top 20 debut.
With this win, the American star collected her third career WTA singles title overall, and her first since Melbourne Summer Set #2 in 2022. Anisimova is also the first American to win the Doha title since Monica Seles back in 2002, which was the second edition of the tournament.
It was a hard-fought victory for Anisimova.
It was actually quite stressful, especially with the rain, at 3-3. I was trying to stay focused. There's not much that either of us could do with the conditions. But I think that game was super important, and I'm happy that it went my way because, as you said, it was a very challenging moment in the match.
Anisimova said
It was Anisimova's return game, particularly off her backhand wing, that was imperative to her victory. The American won 20 of Ostapenko's 29 second-service points, helping her amass 12 break points on the day. Converting five of those chances was enough for the straight-sets win.
I think that I've been able to really execute well from my backhand side. But also I've been working a lot on my forehand, which I think that I've also had a lot of winners on. I think I'm really trying to develop my game as a whole, try to come into the net more, and use my serve to my advantage.
Anisimova said
I think my whole game is actually coming together, and, yes, I still try to go for my backhand line when I can.
Anisimova, whose next stop on the WTA Tour, the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championship, starting next week added