By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday February 15, 2024
Amanda Anisimova completed her title run in Doha, becoming the first American woman to win the title there in 23 years.
Photo Source: TC
In the first WTA 1000 final to feature two players ranked outside of the top 30, and the fifth WTA 1000 final between unseeded players, Amanda Anisimova emerged as the lowest-ranked player to ever win the trophy in Doha.
The 41st ranked American defeated Jelena Ostapenko, 6-4, 6-3 to earn her first WTA 1000 title, and third title overall.
Anisimova, 23, will rise to a career-high ranking of No.18 in Monday's WTA rankings, and make her Top-20 debut.
She is the first American to capture the Doha title since Monica Seles in 2002.
"To be able to lift the trophy here, my first WTA 1000 is super special," Anisimova said. "There's been a lot of hard work, a lot of tears, a lot of good moments, with tennis you kind of experience it all, that's also why I love it."
Swirling wind and on and off drizzle certainly played a role in the pair’s second career meeting. But it could not slow down the immense power that this dynamic unseeded duo possesses.
Trading big blows and service breaks early it would be Anisimova who took control of a tense opening set.
The second — and critical — break advantage in set one went to the American, as Anisimova launched her bulletproof backhand for a clean return winner down the line for 5-4.
With the wind ruffling her skirt, the New Jersey native stepped to the line and calmly struck another backhand winner to open the 10th game.
A few points later, she had locked up the opening set, in 37 minutes, 6-4.
That marked the first set that Ostapenko had lost all week. The 37th-ranked Latvian, who defeated three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, had also defeated Ons Jabeur, Jasmine Paolini, and Luidmila Samsonova on her way to the final.
"First of all, congrats to Amanda, you were playing amazing - hopefully we'll play many more finals," Ostapenko, also the 2016 runner-up in Doha, said. The 2017 Roland-Garros champion dropped to 0-3 all-time in WTA 1000 finals.
"This court is very special for me, everything started here in 2016," she said. "Of course not the result that I wanted today, but I really hope I will come back stronger and lift the trophy one day."
Anisimova had a difficult road to the final as well, and became the first player to beat five Top-30 opponents on route to a Doha final when she snapped Ekaterina Alexandrova's eight-match winning streak in the semis.
After saving a breakpoint with bold shotmaking to level at one all in the second set. Anisimova went on the attack in the ensuing game.
The American showed off her foot speed and technical proficiency by running down a drop shot and depositing a nifty backhand winner into the corner to earn two break points, then converted the break for 2-1 with yet another rifled backhand winner.
That advantage proved to be short-lived, however, as a smiling Ostapenko broke back immediately for 2-2.
After a lengthy rain delay at 3-3, deuce Anisimova quickly broke to move ahead again.
She then held her ground in the next game and consolidated after saving a breakpoint to lead 5-3.
Moments later it was the locked-and-loaded backhand that sealed the deal, as Anisimova converted her second championship point to lock down her biggest career title with her 13th backhand winner of the final.