Amanda Anisimova secured her spot in the WTA Finals last four on Wednesday after fighting back against Iga Swiatek in her final round robin match.
Anisimova and Swiatek’s contest represented a ‘winner takes all’ scenario, and it was the American who stole the show, defeating Swiatek 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.
The American, who has finished second in her group behind Elena Rybakina, will face either Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, or Coco Gauff in the semi-finals.
Speaking of Gauff, she bounced back from her opening WTA Finals loss to Pegula, beating Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 on Tuesday and consequently joining Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport on an exclusive list.
Anisimova and Gauff, as demonstrated by their results in 2025, are certainly two of the more impressive players on the WTA Tour, and they have continued to demonstrate that fact in Riyadh.
Their latest victories in Saudi Arabia will have pleased American tennis fans, and few would bet against both players reaching the final.
Gauff and Anisimova have each won 10 or more matches against top-10 opponents in 2025
Gauff and Anisimova continue to prove why they are the best American players currently competing on the WTA Tour.
They have both performed superbly during portions of 2025: Gauff won the French Open, while Anisimova reached two Grand Slam finals and won two WTA 1000 events.
Both players have more than proved their worth before the WTA Finals, as demonstrated by their records against top 10 players this season.
As per OptaAce, two Americans – Amanda Anisimova and Coco Gauff – have won 10 or more matches against WTA top-10 players in the same season for the first time since 2002.
In 2002, Serena Williams and Venus Williams achieved the feat.
This statistic is somewhat fitting given Gauff’s recent selection for her dream WTA Finals matchup: the Williams sisters.
Who is the better player currently?
Both Gauff and Anisimova have enjoyed success on the WTA Tour recently: Anisimova won the China Open in September, and Gauff won the Wuhan Open in October.
When weighing up all the factors, it is clear that Anisimova is the better player at this moment, despite her ranking being lower than Gauff’s.
Although Anisimova’s play can be erratic at times, she has demonstrated her ability to reach the latter stages of major events throughout the second half of 2025.
Also, Anisimova is not struggling with glaring weaknesses, unlike Gauff, who has struggled with her serve and forehand recently.
As if to demonstrate the point, Anisimova demolished Gauff 6-1, 6-2 at the China Open in September.
Anisimova has been the more consistent, more dominant player throughout the latter half of 2025. Simply put, she has outperformed Gauff during this period.
