Anisimova fights off Noskova challenge to win China Open

BEIJING (Agencies): Two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova won her second WTA 1000 title of the year on Sunday, brushing off a second-set stumble to beat Linda Noskova 6-0 2-6 6-2 in the China Open final. Czech Noskova, who had prevailed in a two-and-a-half hour battle against Jessica Pegula in Saturday’s semi-finals , struggled to keep up with Anisimova’s power and speed. “It’s been an incredible few weeks… we had a lot of challenges,” said Anisimova, who had to withdraw from last month’s Korea Open due to an ankle injury. “It’s crazy that we made it this far, and getting the win today has been special,” added the 24-year-old, who also beat sixth seed Jasmine Paolini and second seed Coco Gauff on her way to the final. World number four Anisimova picked precise angles to bounce the ball near the sidelines and frustrate Noskova, blanking the 20-year-old in just 23 minutes. Noskova, unfazed by the bagel in her first WTA 1000 final, got a break in the first game of the second set, before saving two break points with an ace and powerful backhands to take a decisive 4-2 lead against the American.

However, Anisimova, runner-up at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year, imposed her will again in the third set, winning four straight games against an exhausted Noskova to secure her fourth career WTA title. “I definitely wasn’t coming here feeling that I’d play in the final, so it was a nice surprise,” said Noskova, ranked 27th in the world, who has lost twice to Anisimova this year. “I just want to congratulate Amanda. You’ve been playing amazing through this whole year. Actually, you’ve been more than annoying to all of us,” Noskova joked. Anisimova congratulated Noskova for her performance in the tournament, with the 20-year-old beating two top-10 seeds in Beijing, including local favourite Zheng Qinwen. “You’re also so young still, so I’m sure we’ll have a lot more finals to play,” Anisimova said.