Amanda Anisimova reflects on seeing Andreeva in tears after their Dubai Tennis Championships match

Amanda Anisimova is just two matches away from winning a third WTA 1000 title after reaching the semifinals at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The American came from behind to beat Mirra Andreeva in three sets, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6, ending the Russian’s title defence. Next up for Anisimova is Jessica Pegula, a player she has yet to defeat at tour level.

Pegula holds a 4-0 advantage in their head-to-head meetings, with her most recent win coming in the Australian Open quarterfinals. After the match, Anisimova spoke about Andreeva’s emotional reaction to the loss.

Amanda Anisimova shares thoughts on semifinal win over Mirra Andreeva in Dubai

An emotional Amanda Anisimova shared her thoughts after a hard-fought win against Mirra Andreeva in the Dubai semifinals.

“I was almost in tears there at the end. It was such a tough battle, and I thought we played incredible tennis,” she said during her post-match interview.

“Seeing Mirra down like that, I mean, it’s understandable. We both fought so hard today, and yeah, it made me emotional seeing her like that.”

Despite losing the opening set 6-2, Anisimova remained positive about her performance. She highlighted the importance of maintaining belief throughout the match.

She explained: “I feel like that belief comes from a long time ago when I used to struggle with my confidence when I was down in matches like this. But I’ve really worked hard on that.

Amanda Anisimova looks ahead to Jessica Pegula match at Dubai Open

Anisimova briefly looked ahead to her upcoming semifinal against Pegula following the win.

She said: “I think I play against Jess tomorrow, so another great fight and hopefully, we’ll have a good match. I mean, she’s a great player, so really looking forward to it.

“It’s always exciting to play against another American. We just played, so it’s tough. But yeah, I mean, she’s always bringing her best. And I feel like we always have great matches. So yeah, looking forward to it.”

Pegula defeated Anisimova in straight sets at the Australian Open, winning 6-2, 7-6 in the quarterfinals.

Read more: