Amanda Anisimova defeated Zhang Shuai in a very entertaining match at the China Open on Sunday.
Anisimova had beat Katie Boulter comfortably in the previous round and she needed to be even better to come through a match against Shuai.
Anisimova took the first set 13-11 in a tie-breaker before romping through the second set 6-0 to set up a last 16 match with Czech player Karolina Muchova.
Shuai is a veteran player at 36-years-old and it was always going to be a very tough assignment for the world number 112 against a player who has reached two Grand Slam finals this year.
Zhang Shuai shares what she really likes about Amanda Anisimova
The Chinese player is clearly keen to still learn from the game’s top players despite her advancing years.
Had the player managed to win the tie-breaker at the end of the first set, perhaps this match might have been different but sadly it wasn’t to be.
After the match, Shuai was asked about Anisimova and heaped praise on the world number four from the United States.
She said in her press conference: “Yeah, today I think it’s a really great match. Amanda, she’s the one I like best in the tennis, I mean, the style on the tour. So I watch a lot of her play.
“I know her level. For me, it is the best, the top. I mean, she plays beautiful tennis. She played really great cross-court down the line.
“Really great serve and return. I mean, everything I like.
“I mean, lost to her, I’m nothing, feeling bad. I can just see a lot of things I can improve myself and I can learn from her. Normally, I watch on the phone or on court, but now I can play against her. I can get more feeling from her tennis.
“So yes, I feel a lot of positive things. We can continue training and building my tennis. Can maybe one day play like her.”
Zhang Shuai shares how hard Amanda Anisimova hits the ball
One of the best aspects of Anisimova’s game is her power, and that is essentially what has seen her reach two major finals this year.
Shuai has admitted that she’d love to be able to strike the ball just like Anisimova and is a bit fan of that aspect of her game.
She continued: “Yeah, because she takes the ball early. Her technique, I think, is the best. Also, she plays really deep and wide. That’s my goal. That’s what I want to do.
“But normally, if I play against another player, I can do something similar to her. That’s why I won a lot of matches over the last couple of months. But when she plays this level, I still need a lot of things to do. Yeah, my level still needs to improve a lot.
“But I’m still feeling, yeah, a lot of positive things. So I’m happy with all my performance.”
Anisimova will now hope to move on and win more matches before the year grinds to a close with the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia in November.
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