DOHA — United States’ Amanda Anisimova won her first WTA title, defeating Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-4, 6-3 at the Qatar Open.
It was the first final in Doha to have two players ranked outside the top 30 and capped a stellar week for both players.
Anisimova is the first American to beat six top-40 opponents in one tournament since Serena Williams did it at the Australian Open in 2007.
For her part, Ostapenko took out No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland and No. 4 Jasmine Paolini of Italy on her way to the finals.
Anisimova has made a steady climb in the rankings since falling to No. 213 a year ago after taking much of 2023 off to address her mental health; she will debut in the top 20 next week.
The win was the third of her career and first since 2022 (Melbourne Summer Set #2). The New Jersey native also became the first American to win a women’s singles title in Doha since 2022.
“With tennis, there’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of tears, a lot of good moments. That’s also why I love it,” Anisimova, 23, said, reflecting on her journey to the trophy over the past several months.
“It’s super special. This week has just been amazing,” she added according to Reuters. “I wouldn’t have been able to do this without my team; all the work we’ve been putting in.”
The 81-minute match was interrupted by rain with Ostapenko serving at 3-3, 40-40, and when play resumed after 25 minutes, Anisimova gained a service break — one of five on the day.
Ostapenko also won just 58 percent of her first serves, compared to 70 for Anisimova, struck 10 double faults and recorded 16 winners against 36 unforced errors. Her two set losses to Anisimova were her first of the tournament.
In May 2023, the American announced she would be taking an indefinite break from tennis, citing burnout and mental health concerns.
The American returned to action at the start of last season, ranked 373 in the world, and has clawed her way back up the charts to hit a new milestone when the new rankings are released on Monday.
“There’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of tears, a lot of good moments. I think with tennis you experience it all, but that’s also why I love it,” said Anisimova.
“There have been a lot of challenges the last few weeks and I’m very proud of myself and happy with how I’ve dealt with them. It’s been an incredible week on top of that.”
Serbian Hamad Medjedovic, meanwhile, had little trouble handling No. 1-seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia, capturing a 6-3, 6-2 upset in the semi-finals of the Open 13 Provence in Marseille, France.
Medjedovic had zero wins against top-10 opponents before downing Medvedev, who sits at eighth in the world rankings. It took only 72 minutes for the 21-year-old to pull off the stunning victory, in which he collected seven aces and saved 3 of 5 break points.
France’s Ugo Humbert, the No. 2 seed, will collide with Medjedovic in the final.
Humbert put together a straight-set win of his own, taking 29 of 35 first-serve points en route to a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Zizou Bergs of Belgium.
Backed by a supportive home crowd, fifth-seeded Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, also, coasted to a 6-2, 6-4 win over Spaniard Pedro Martinez in a semi-final battle in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Cerundolo had eight aces while Martinez had zero, with the former also saving all seven break points he faced.
Joao Fonseca of Brazil is also headed to the final after prevailing 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1 against Serbia’s Laslo Djere. It was tied 1-1 in the third set before Djere completely collapsed.
