Anisimova’s “Comeback” Leads to Title

DOHA, SATURDAY—Amanda Anisimova ranked second in the world for junior women's singles at the age of 15 and won the US Open Grand Slam in the same category a year later. At the senior level, she once made a surprise, then took a break from competition due to pressure, and returned to eventually win the WTA 1000 Doha tournament.

Anisimova became the champion in Doha, Qatar, after stopping the surprise made by Jelena Ostapenko. In the final at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Saturday (15/2/2025), Anisimova defeated Ostapenko with a score of 6-4, 6-3.

The victory halted the surprise run made by Ostapenko on her way to the final. The 2017 French Open Grand Slam champion defeated the fourth seed, Jasmine Paolini, in the third round.

Not only that, she also defeated the WTA Doha champion of the last three years, Iga Swiatek, in the semifinals with a decisive score of 6-3, 6-1. Ostapenko thus became the only tennis player to have won five times against the holder of five Grand Slam titles without being defeated.

The opponents Anisimova defeated on her way to the final were equally tough, namely the ninth seed, Paula Badosa, in the second round, then Leylah Fernandez (2021 US Open finalist) in the third round. In the semifinals, Anisimova defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova, the player who eliminated the top seed, Aryna Sabalenka, and Jessica Pegula.

The championship title from Doha is the first for Anisimova at the Super 1000 level, after she lost in the final of the same level in Canada in 2024. Although she still struggles to consistently break into elite level competition, Anisimova has at least shown her efforts to compete again in the professional arena.

This American tennis player has been competing professionally since the age of 15 in 2016, although she was still considered a junior (under 18 years old) in terms of age. She became the second-ranked junior female singles player that year.

A week after her 16th birthday in 2017, Anisimova won the U.S. Open junior title by defeating 13-year-old Cori Gauff 6-0, 6-2 in the final. The record showed Anisimova's potential to shine at a higher level.

It turns out, the time I went through was not long, but, I did need time to rest and refocus on myself.

That potential was demonstrated when she reached the semifinals of the 2019 French Open by eliminating Sabalenka in the second round and defending champion Simona Halep in the quarterfinals.

However, the journey to improve after the moment at Roland Garros, Paris, turned out to be too difficult for Anisimova. Because she could not handle the pressure and suffered mental health problems, Anisimova decided to take a break from competing from May until the end of 2023. She returned in 2024 with her best achievement in the WTA 1000 Canada final.

After defeating Ostapenko in the final in Doha, Anisimova said that during her break, she planned to return to the professional tour with the goal of winning a high-level tournament. “At that time, I made a plan for when I would start training again and get back to playing. It turned out that it wasn’t that long, but I did need some time to rest and refocus on myself. I wanted to really enjoy myself when I came back to competing,” Anisimova told the WTA website.

The 23-year-old also said that there was a lot of hard work and tearful moments before receiving the trophy in Doha. "So, this week is an amazing moment. It's very special for me," said Anisimova, who will climb to 18th in the world rankings from 41st after winning the WTA Doha.

After this, Anisimova must prove her consistency by appearing in another WTA 1000 tournament, namely in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, February 16-22. She will face fellow American, McCartney Kessler, in the first round. If she wins, her next opponent will be Gauff who is the third seed and gets a bye in the first round.

As in Doha, the world's top players compete in Dubai. It is a chance for those who were eliminated in the early rounds in Doha, such as Sabalenka, Gauff, Zheng Qin Wen, and Emma Navarro.

The men's tennis competition will be without world number one Jannik Sinner from February 9 to May 4. The Italian tennis player was given a three-month ban for two doping cases committed between March and April 2024.

Sinner tested positive twice for the doping substance, clostebolin his body. The three-time Grand Slam champion has repeatedly said that he did not intentionally dope. Clostebolentered his body because of the medicine used by the physiotherapist, who massaged him, to treat the wound on his hand.

After being cleared in 2024, the case was revisited this year as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). However, WADA withdrew its appeal and accepted Sinner's explanation. An agreement was eventually reached between the two parties that Sinner would be banned from competing for three months.

Due to the sanctions, Sinner will miss four ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, namely Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid. He will also not play in the ATP 500 Dubai, February 24-March 1, even though he is already there.

Sinner's ban expires just before the start of his home claycourt tournament, the ATP Masters 1000 Rome from May 7-18. The 23-year-old is also eligible to play in his second Grand Slam, the French Open from May 25-June 8. (AFP)