Tis Amanda Anisimova‘s time to shine, and the 24-year-old shines every time she steps onto the court. While she may have missed out on two slam titles in succession, the rising WTA star is now looking to make up for them in Beijing. Facing her compatriot and defending China Open champion Coco Gauff, she didn’t waste much time on the Diamond Court on Saturday. Contrary to predictions, the two-time major winner had no answer to Anisimova’s ferocity.

Unleashing a barrage of dominant backhand and forehand shots, Anisimova sealed a thumping win over her good friend and former China Open winner. With a brutal scoreline of 6-1, 6-2, in just 58 minutes, she handed Coco Gauff a nightmarish defeat. It was a total display of sheer power and magnificent stroke-making by Anisimova. Following her victory over the World No.3, she confessed, “I was able to put on a really good performance and I knew I was gonna have to play really well against Coco if I wanted to get the win. I’m really excited to be in the final.”

Appreciating the growing fan support in Beijing, Anisimova mentioned, “I’ve been saying every time I’ve walked on court and won my match that I love playing here and the crowd support has been so amazing since the first day I got here.” Hoping for the same love going into the summit clash, she concluded, “I really think that’s carried me through this entire tournament. Hopefully everyone can come out and support me in the final”

With the latest win over Gauff, Anisimova has taken a 2-1 lead in the H2H tally. She has entered her ninth overall final of the WTA career and fifth of this season. After the Qatar Open triumph in February, she is on the brink of winning a second WTA 1000 tournament of the season in Beijing.

But there is one more distinction Anisimova has achieved after Saturday’s victory. While earning her best run at the China Open, she has entered an elite club while having a rare milestone that no other player has reached this season.

Amanda Anisimova gets to rare feat in 2025 season after dismantling Coco Gauff

Prior to the semifinal against Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova had already secured her spot at the WTA Finals. The year-end event will take place in Riyadh next month. Thanks to her stunning campaigns at Wimbledon and the US Open, the World No.4 has received a ticket to her maiden WTA Finals campaign.

But she has achieved another special milestone this season. After registering a dominating victory against Gauff, she has become the only player in 2025 to beat the World No.1, No.2, and No.3 players. For the uninitiated, Anisimova had the best of Aryna Sabalenka during the Wimbledon as she edged her out in the semis.

Then at the US Open, the 24-year-old took her revenge from World No.2 Iga Swiatek of that double bagel loss in the Wimbledon final. Anisimova thrashed the six-time major winner in the QF with a score line of 6-4, 6-3. After that famous win, the American admitted, “I feel like I really made a point to myself and also maybe to other people that, like, if you really put a positive mindset out there or, I don’t know, just try and work through things, then, you know, you can have a positive outcome.”

And this week, she has made her way into the China Open by edging out No.3 Gauff. It will be intriguing to whether Anisimova can win her maiden trophy in Beijing.