Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova are set for their third WTA Tour meeting at the China Open, but their history dates all the way back to 2017.
Anisimova and Gauff will meet in the China Open semi-final as they continue to prove they’re the brightest hopes in American tennis.
Gauff defeated Eva Lys in the quarter-final, while Anisimova overcame Jasmine Paolini in three sets in Beijing.
The Americans have shared a win apiece in their WTA head-to-head, but their first meeting came when Gauff was just 13 years old.
Coco Gauff showed maturity in defeat against Amanda Anisimova in 2017
The two Americans met in the US Open juniors final in 2017, when Gauff was just 13 and Anisimova was 16.
Anisimova’s age and size proved too much for Gauff as she raced to a 6-0, 6-2 victory against the star who would turn into one of her biggest rivals.
Speaking after the match, Gauff revealed: “I wasn’t really nervous before. She came out playing well and I wasn’t playing that good in the beginning.
“Then after, I think the momentum was definitely on her side and I didn’t play that good. But still, she played amazing. Congrats to her.”
Gauff detailed exactly what went wrong against her older opponent on Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows.
“I tried my best to save as many as possible, and I had a couple of game points on my side too,” said Gauff. “But you know, I tried not to think of it as match points, just tried to keep playing the match.”
I thought I would be able to make it out of that game, but it was a good game though,” she added. “I thought she did well changing the direction of the ball and hitting winners.
“I was hitting hard, but she would hit it right back. Most of the time it was down the line, and she was hitting good shots on both sides of the court.”
Despite being just 13 years old, Gauff’s WTA Tour debut would not be too far away. She debuted just two years later, famously playing Wimbledon as a 15-year-old.
Amanda Anisimova teased her future at the US Open in 2017
Anisimova used the US Open title win as a launchpad to become one of the top players in the world, but she wasn’t taking anything for granted after lifting the trophy.
“I’m not going to get too ahead of myself,” said the American, who would make her Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros in 2017.
“I’m just going to take one tournament at a time and just see how they go,” she said. “I just really want to play in some main draw tournaments at slams. That would be my goal for next year.”
Anisimova is yet to win a Grand Slam, but she is getting closer and closer in 2025. The star reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.
