Eighth seed Amanda Anisimova from the USA stunned top seed Zheng Qinwen of China with a thrilling 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory in the women’s singles semifinals at the WTA Queen’s Club tournament in London on Saturday. The win propels Anisimova into the final, where she will face German qualifier Tatjana Maria.
Anisimova, 21, came out strong, using aggressive tactics to take the first set in just 37 minutes. Her powerful strokes caught the 22-year-old Zheng off guard, leading to two crucial breaks.
Zheng fought back in the second set, overcoming an early 0-2 deficit. She rallied with a series of breaks, and after holding serve in a love game to lead 5-4, she broke Anisimova once more to take the set 6-4, leveling the match.
The deciding set saw both players battling fiercely. Anisimova gained an early 2-0 lead, but Zheng responded by winning three consecutive games. The American saved three break points in a pivotal sixth game to tie it up at 3-3.
An increase in unforced errors from Zheng in the seventh game allowed Anisimova to break again. Despite Zheng holding serve in the ninth game, Anisimova maintained her composure to close out the match 6-4.
In the other semifinal, 37-year-old Tatjana Maria upset second seed Madison Keys of the USA in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6(3). This marks Maria’s first victory over Keys in four meetings and makes her the oldest WTA Tour finalist since Serena Williams won a title at 38 in 2020.
“You always have to keep going. You never can stop. It doesn’t matter how it goes,” Maria said after her win. “I love to play tennis, I love this sport, and we live for these special moments.”
Anisimova and Maria will now face off in the final of this WTA 500 event on Sunday, each looking to secure the title.
