Resurgent Anisimova overpowers Ostapenko to win Qatar Open title
The American defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-3 to win her maiden WTA 1000 title in Doha
Amanda Anisimova wins the 2025 Qatar Open title Hussein Sayed/AP/SIPA
Amanda Anisimova brushed aside the challenge of Jelena Ostapenko in the final of the Qatar Open, overpowering the Latvian 6-4, 6-3 to clinch her maiden WTA 1000 title.
The American has won her third WTA trophy, the biggest of her career, and her first in over three years. She also becomes the first American woman to lift the trophy in Doha since Monica Seles achieved the feat back in 2002.
It has been a challenging road for Anisimova across the early stages of her career, with the 23-year-old making her comeback to the tour last season after the latest of a litany of injury setbacks, as well as taking time away from the sport in 2023 to protect her mental health.
But her title charge in the Qatari capital will see the American rise into the world’s top 20 for the first time in her career as her resurgence gathers pace and momentum.
anisimova outhits misfiring ostapenko
In a rain-disrupted contest, Anisimova remained composed throughout, with her punishing groundstrokes proving too much for an under-par Ostapenko to handle. The American’s return game was particularly impressive, breaking her opponent five times while the Latvian was left to rue a damaging 36 unforced errors in total.
The pair exchanged breaks in the fifth and sixth games after a brief rain delay had disrupted the start of the match. Anisimova then struck again in the ninth before comfortably serving out a deserved one-set lead.
The American saved a break point in her opening service game of the second set, impressively dismissing the opportunity for her opponent with a blistering forehand cross-court winner, before breaking to love with a superb returning game. As in the first set, however, Ostapenko hit straight back with a break of her own to restore parity before another rain delay put a halt to proceedings.
Upon the restart, it was a rapid-fire sprint to the finish from Anisimova. The American wasted no further time by pouncing on a loose service game from her opponent to break in the seventh game, before holding serve and breaking again to take the final three games on the spin, clinching the biggest title of her career with a fittingly excellent backhand winner to leave Ostapenko stranded.
“To be able to lift the trophy here for my first WTA 1000 is super special,” Anisimova said after the match.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my team.” I love you guys. Without you this wouldn’t have been possible.”
challenging years giving way to welcome comeback for anisimova
Anisimova has long held such immense potential. Indeed, her run to the last four at Roland-Garros as a 17-year-old back in 2019 left most earmarking the American as a future all-time great of the sport. While her career path has thus far been wayward and full of personal setbacks, it only makes Anisimova’s recent resurgence all the more impressive.
Following the death of her father later that year, Anisimova suffered an understandable drop in form. This preceded repeated issues with injury and time taken away from the sport in 2023 due to burnout.
Put simply, it’s been a very tough road for the young American. Yet, today, she has claimed her first 1000-level title, having played superbly all week in Doha only dropping one set across the entirety of the tournament.
As a result, Anisimova will move to a career-best ranking, positioned inside the top 20. Still only at the tender age of 23, there is no reason that the newly crowned Qatar Open champion cannot make a genuine push to the very top of the sport.
It would be a sight most of the tennis world would be delighted to see come to fruition.
