Amanda Anisimova’s dream season continued Thursday as she survived a nearly three-hour long barn burner against Jasmine Paolini in Beijing.

Beijing: Scores | Draws | Order of play

The win sends Anisimova to the China Open semifinals and, more importantly, officially punches her ticket to the WTA Finals in Riyadh for the first time in her career — a milestone she was thrilled to reach.

“It was a goal I set for myself at the beginning of the year,” Anisimova said after the match. “I think it was actually one of the only goals I made, so I’m super excited. And I’m excited to keep going here too. I really love playing in Beijing, so I’m excited for the semifinal.”

To get there, Anisimova had to navigate a highly anticipated quarterfinal against Paolini, who pushed her to the limit. But Anisimova rallied from a set down for the second straight match, defeating the No. 6 seed 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4 in 2 hours and 47 minutes.

“She’s a difficult opponent to face,” Anisimova said. “It’s been a while since I played her and today had everything.”

Anisimova will face fellow American Coco Gauff in what will be her sixth semifinal appearance of the year, her most in a single season.

Here’s what you should know following Anisimova’s quarterfinal triumph:

Key moments: In a match this tight, nearly every point felt pivotal, but a few moments had more of a dramatic impact than others.

In the first set, Anisimova served for the set at 5-4, but an untimely double fault opened the door for Paolini, who broke to level at 5-5. Paolini then saved two break points and held for a 6-5 lead. After Anisimova held to force a tiebreak, Paolini raced ahead 3-0, then 5-2, and ultimately closed it out at 7-4 to take the set after exactly one hour.

The turning point in the second set came with Anisimova up 4-2. After winning the first four games — including a comeback from 0-40 down to break in the second game — Anisimova dropped the next two and faced trouble again following a pair of double faults. But as she did repeatedly throughout the match, Anisimova hit her way out of trouble, held serve, and eventually served out the set to force a decider.

The third set was jam-packed with momentum swings, but it was the eighth game that proved to be decisive. After Paolini held for a 4-3 lead, having already erased an early break, Anisimova appeared to be fading as the match crossed the 2 1⁄2-hour mark.

She fell behind 15-40, then saved two break points to force deuce. Paolini kept up the pressure, earning four additional break points throughout the game, but Anisimova dug deep. She saved the sixth break point with a backhand winner, followed up with an ace, and on the 20th point of the game, just barely found the line as she had done countless times prior for a winner to level the set at 4-all.

Seemingly recharged both physically and mentally, Anisimova surged. She broke Paolini in the following game and then held at love to seal the victory.

Fast facts:

  • Anisimova now holds a 2-0 head-to-head record against Jasmine Paolini at the WTA level.
  • This marks Anisimova’s third career WTA 1000 semifinal. She reached the final in both previous appearances in Doha earlier this year and Toronto in 2024.
  • Equal with Coco Gauff, only two players have claimed more WTA top 10 wins than Anisimova (7) in 2025 — Aryna Sabalenka (10) and Iga Swiatek (8).
  • Following wins over Paolini and Karolina Muchova, Anisimova has recorded multiple comeback wins at a WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career.
  • Anisimova has earned 12 three-set wins at the WTA level this season, second only to Madison Keys (16).

Looking ahead: Anisimova now turns her attention to a semifinal packed with storylines. Not only is it an all-American clash against Gauff, but it’s also a matchup between top three seeds and a showdown with the defending Beijing champion. 

The winner will likely enter the final as the favorite.

The two have split their previous meetings, with Gauff winning on clay and Anisimova taking their most recent encounter at Wimbledon in 2022. So, this semifinal not only determines who advances to the final but also settles the score in their head-to-head rivalry across surfaces.

It promises to be a challenge for both players — one Anisimova appears ready to embrace.

“I’m excited to play Coco,” Anisimova said. “Every time we play it’s a really tough match, so it’s going to be fun to play another American here.”