Amanda Anisimova achieved a significant victory at the Miami Open, bringing an end to Mirra Andreeva`s impressive 13-game winning streak. In a captivating third-round match held on Sunday night, Anisimova secured a 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-3 win.
The intense match lasted 2 hours and 49 minutes and pitted the No. 17 seed, Amanda Anisimova, against World No. 6, Mirra Andreeva. For Anisimova, this victory marks her tenth career win against a Top 10 player.
Key points from the match:
Clash of WTA 1000 Champions: This third-round match was notable as it featured the only two players who have claimed WTA 1000 titles this season. Anisimova, who was unseeded, won the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha, the first WTA 1000 event of the year.
Following Doha, Andreeva dominated the next two WTA 1000 tournaments, winning both Dubai and Indian Wells consecutively. The 17-year-old had aspirations of becoming the first teenager to achieve the Sunshine Double.
However, Anisimova managed to rediscover her Doha form, successfully halting Andreeva`s momentum in Miami. Anisimova, currently at a career-high ranking of No. 17, has now reached the Round of 16 at her home tournament for the first time.
Crucial Break Points Saved: The match was closely contested from the start. Andreeva was serving for the first set at 5-4 but was broken to love, allowing Anisimova to eventually win the set in a tiebreak. Andreeva then rebounded strongly, taking control of the second set.
In the third set, Andreeva had two opportunities to break and take a 2-0 lead. However, Anisimova`s aggressive play, including a powerful serve and overhead, helped her save these break points and hold serve for 1-1.
This momentum shift was immediately capitalized on by Anisimova in the subsequent game. She quickly gained a 0-40 lead and broke serve for 2-1, which ultimately became the decisive break in the final set.
Andreeva had two more break point chances in Anisimova`s next service game. Yet again, Anisimova responded with powerful shots – a backhand crosscourt winner and a forehand winner – to fend them off and proceed towards victory.
Both players broke serve four times during the match, but Anisimova demonstrated a superior break point conversion rate (4 out of 9 compared to Andreeva`s 4 out of 16). Notably, Anisimova successfully defended all four break points she faced in the final set.
Upcoming Match with Raducanu: Anisimova is set to face Emma Raducanu in the next round for a place in the quarterfinals. Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, advanced after McCartney Kessler retired due to injury in their third-round match.
Raducanu, formerly ranked World No. 10, is showing strong form in Miami, including a notable victory over Emma Navarro in the second round. This week marks the first time Raducanu has won three consecutive matches at a Hologic WTA Tour event or Grand Slam since Wimbledon last year.
Amanda Anisimova and Emma Raducanu have played once before, earlier this year at the Australian Open, where Raducanu won 6-3, 7-5 in the second round.
To be updated…
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth