In the neon glow of Beijing’s Diamond Court, where the China Open’s hard courts have long been a proving ground for the WTA’s elite, Saturday’s semifinal unfolded like a cautionary tale for even the most decorated champions. Defending titlist Coco Gauff, the 21-year-old prodigy whose explosive all-court game has netted her two Grand Slam crowns and a world No. 2 ranking, arrived as the favorite. Yet, in a match that lasted just 58 minutes, she was dismantled 6-1, 6-2 by compatriot Amanda Anisimova, a 24-year-old resurgent force whose flat, ferocious groundstrokes turned the contest into a one-sided clinic. For Gauff, it was a humbling exit from the tournament she claimed in 2024, her title defense ending not with a bang, but a whimper—punctuated by serve statistics so stark they bordered on the surreal.
Anisimova, seeded third and riding a wave of momentum that has seen her climb to world No. 4, wasted no time asserting dominance. She raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening set, her returns landing like precision-guided missiles, forcing Gauff into a defensive scramble from the outset. Gauff, known for her athleticism and unyielding baseline rallies, clawed back a game to avoid a bagel, but it was a fleeting mercy. Anisimova sealed the set in 27 minutes, winning more than twice as many points as her opponent— a 42-19 edge that exposed Gauff’s unraveling under pressure. The second set mirrored the script: another 5-0 surge by Anisimova, met by a late Gauff fightback that included a break at love and a hold, trimming the deficit. But the rally fizzled; Anisimova broke back immediately and closed out the match with clinical efficiency, her 28 winners underscoring a performance that felt predestined.
At the heart of Gauff’s collapse were her serve stats, numbers so alarming they painted a portrait of a weapon turned liability. On a surface that typically favors her booming first delivery, Gauff managed a mere 42% first-serve percentage—a dismal figure that left her vulnerable to Anisimova’s aggressive returns. Of the points where she did land a first serve, she won just 52%, dipping to a paltry 38% on second serves. Double faults piled up at six, each one a gift-wrapped opportunity for Anisimova, who converted five of seven break points overall. Gauff’s ace count? Zero. In a tournament where she had entered with a 42-13 hard-court record for the year, these metrics weren’t just off—they were outliers in a season of otherwise stellar serving, where her first-serve win rate had hovered near 75%. It was as if the court, slick under the Beijing humidity, conspired against her, amplifying every glitch in her toss and grip.
Post-match, Gauff’s reflections carried the weight of introspection rather than excuses. “It’s tough, but I have to learn from it,” she said, her voice steady despite the sting. “My serve just wasn’t there today—too many free points given away. But Amanda played lights-out; she didn’t give me anything to work with.” Those words, delivered courtside amid the fading echoes of the crowd, hinted at a deeper narrative: Gauff’s 2025 has been a tale of peaks and puzzling valleys. Fresh off a French Open triumph in June—her second major after the 2023 US Open—she had stormed into Beijing’s quarterfinals with a straight-sets dismissal of Eva Lys, breaking serve three times en route to a 6-2, 6-4 victory. “I’m happy with how I played against Eva,” Gauff had noted then. “She’s a tough opponent who hit some incredible shots on the run, but I tried my best to play aggressive and good tennis.” That aggression, however, evaporated against Anisimova, whose ability to absorb and redirect pace neutralized Gauff’s usual weapons.
Anisimova’s path to this pinnacle has been one of phoenix-like rebirth. After stepping away from the tour in 2023 to prioritize mental health amid burnout and injuries, she returned in 2024 with a vengeance, culminating in runner-up finishes at Wimbledon and the US Open. This year, her 43-16 ledger includes a WTA 1000 title in Doha and deep runs that have her eyeing a year-end top-three spot. Against Gauff, it was her first hard-court senior win over the Floridian, flipping a head-to-head that Gauff had led 2-1 entering the clash—their prior meetings a 2021 Parma straight-sets win for Gauff and a 2022 Wimbledon comeback victory for Anisimova. “I was able to put on a really good performance,” Anisimova beamed afterward, her smile belying the ferocity on display. “I knew I was going to have to play really well against Coco if I wanted to get the win, and I’m really excited to be in the final.” That final, set for Sunday against Czech upstart Linda Noskova—who clawed back from the brink to edge Jessica Pegula 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(6) in the other semi—looms as Anisimova’s fifth of 2025, a testament to her unyielding trajectory.
For Gauff, this defeat stings deeper in context. As the tournament’s second seed and highest-ranked player remaining before the semis, her only prior loss on Beijing’s main stage was a 2023 semifinal to Iga Swiatek. The China Open marked her first event post-US Open fourth-round exit to Naomi Osaka, a match that had already sparked questions about her consistency. Yet, amid the rubble, glimmers of resilience shone through: that late second-set break, sparked by a beautifully redirected backhand down the line, evoked the fighter who once turned qualifiers into majors. At 21, with Olympic gold in doubles from Paris and a season still ripe for redemption, Gauff’s alarming stats serve as a wake-up call rather than a eulogy. “Tough losses like this push you to get better,” she added, eyes already drifting toward the Wuhan Open and beyond. “I’ll tweak the serve, reset, and come back stronger.”
Anisimova, meanwhile, steps into the final as the hunter turned hunted, her “main-character energy”—as one observer quipped—propelling her toward potential glory. In a sport where young Americans like these two often trade blows in the spotlight, Saturday’s rout was a reminder of tennis’s cruel caprice: one player’s demolition another’s blueprint for growth. As Beijing’s autumn chill sets in, the China Open finale promises fireworks, but for Gauff, the real battle rages inward—a quest to reclaim the serve that once thundered like destiny. In the end, amid the aces unserved and breaks unheld, this semifinal wasn’t just a mismatch; it was a mirror, reflecting the raw, relentless heart of the chase.
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