Linda Noskova says what Amanda Ansimova did in the China Open final which she really struggled with

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Linda Noskova’s impressive campaign at the China Open ended with a defeat to Amanda Anisimova in the championship match.

Competing in her first WTA 1000 final, the 20-year-old conceded the first set 6-0, but fought back to win the second and force a decider.

It was not to be for Noskova, however, who fell to Anisimova 0-6, 6-2, 2-6, with the American clinching the fourth title of her career.

After the defeat, the Czech star had high praise for her conqueror, who is now third in the race to the WTA Finals.

Linda Noskova reacts to her defeat to Amanda Anisimova in Beijing

In her post-match press conference, Noskova said of Anisimova: “I think it’s just the fact that she comes after every point that she possibly can.

“It’s definitely her powerful serve that she starts the rally with. Then she just continues to play as much down the line as possible.

“Sometimes it’s just hard to come up with anything, with any plan, in fact, against such fast groundstrokes.

“I just had to kind of keep my rhythm and keep my length on the balls. I feel like that’s why I won the second set. Obviously, in the third, it was much more like it was in the first one. That was tough.”

Linda Noskova cracks the world’s top 20 after Beijing campaign

Despite Noskova’s defeat to Anisimova, she will make her debut in the WTA top 20 after a lengthy Beijing campaign.

She said of the feat: “Getting into the top 20 this year has definitely been a big goal for me. But at the same time, I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself.

“A couple of months ago, I told myself it would be nice to be in the top 20, but honestly, it would also be nice to be in the top 30 or 40.

“Just playing these big tournaments against the best players in the world is really a dream come true, and I still have to remind myself of that sometimes.

“I’m not really focused on what number I am in the rankings. I don’t think that’s what matters most. I’m just enjoying my time on court, and whatever happens, happens. I guess that’s kind of my motto now.”

She will now set her sights on the Wuhan Open, where she will face Yulia Putintseva in her opening clash.