Amanda Anisimova, 24, has spent nearly a decade on tour and in 2025 produced the most sustained surge of her career. Ranked No. 4 and having beaten each of the Top 3 this season, she clinched a spot in the semifinals at the WTA Finals by beating Iga Swiatek.

“I feel like I belong at this point.” That admission follows a year in which Anisimova reached two Grand Slam finals in the last five months and recorded a pair of WTA 1000 wins. The turnaround is striking after a difficult period that culminated in her describing life on tour as “unbearable” in 2023 and taking the remainder of that season off.

“If you would have told me a year ago I would be sitting right here, it would be a little hard to believe,” she said as the year-end Top 8 event began. “I think I’ve surprised myself along the way, for sure. I’ve definitely hit some goals that I dreamt of early in the year and didn’t think that maybe I would be able to achieve them by the end.”

Anisimova traces her revival to work done away from the scoreboard. “I don’t think there’s anything in particular that I could say has helped me get to where I am,” she said. “I think it was a combination of many different things…I think all the hard work I did on the inside was what really paid off for me.” She added, “I think just me enjoying the process has gotten me this far.”

Her results back that up: two major finals, WTA 1000 victories, a recovery after “losing 0 and 0 at Wimbledon,” and a remarkable streak of winning her last 13 three-set matches dating to April. “I’ve played a lot of tough matches this year. I know my capabilities. And I know if I can play my best tennis, I can give it my best shot. Amanda Anisimova”

Her WTA Finals week began with a loss to Elena Rybakina, but she followed with three-set wins over Madison Keys and Swiatek, showing patience and clutch play. After the match against Swiatek, the defeated champion said, “I did everything I could today, so like no regrets,” Swiatek said . “I felt like I was really in the zone, positive mindset. I fought and really didn’t give up—it wasn’t enough.”

Entering Thursday, three players — Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka — still had multiple routes to reach two semifinal berths from the Stefanie Graf Group at the WTA Finals. By the day’s close the picture had cleared.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka recovered from a 5-3 deficit in the opening set to defeat defending champion Coco Gauff 7-6(5), 6-2, eliminating Gauff from semifinal contention. Sabalenka steadied the match at the tiebreak and carried momentum through the second set to close out a straight-sets victory.

Earlier, Jessica Pegula secured her place in the knockout stage with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Jasmine Paolini, a result that, combined with Sabalenka’s win, defined the group standings. Sabalenka finished the round robin unbeaten at 3-0 and will advance as group winner. Pegula moves on in second place with a 2-1 record.

The results set the semifinal pairings: Sabalenka will face Amanda Anisimova in one semifinal, while Pegula will meet Elena Rybakina in the other.

The day removed much of the earlier complexity in qualification scenarios and left a straightforward path for the two players who finished atop the Graf Group. Sabalenka’s comeback from a late deficit in the first set and her control in the second underlined her status at the top of the rankings. Pegula’s straight-sets win over Paolini ensured she would join Sabalenka in the final four.

Both semifinals promise contrasting styles: Sabalenka’s power and momentum against Anisimova’s game, and Pegula’s consistency against Rybakina’s weaponry. The WTA Finals will proceed with those matchups after the conclusion of group play.

© 2025 Robert Prange

The ATP Finals draw placed top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz in the same group as Novak Djokovic, while defending champion Jannik Sinner was drawn alongside Alexander Zverev.

The Jimmy Connors group lists Alcaraz, Djokovic, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur. The Bjorn Borg group contains Sinner, Zverev, Ben Shelton and either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Lorenzo Musetti, who are contesting the final spot.

Auger-Aliassime currently holds the eighth qualifying position. Musetti can overtake him if he wins the tournament in Athens this week. Djokovic, who is also competing in Athens, has not confirmed his participation at the finals. Djokovic, who is a record seven-time champion at the finals, sat out the event last year and has said he will decide whether to play or not after the Athens tournament.

The finals begin on Sunday with round-robin play. The two highest finishers in each group will advance to the semifinals. The championship match is scheduled for Nov. 16.

This will be Alcaraz’s third appearance at the season-ending event; his best previous result was a semifinal showing in 2023. Alcaraz and Sinner remain in contention for the year-end No. 1 ranking, a race that will be settled by their performances at the finals.

The draw pits several past finalists and champions against one another. Zverev is a two-time winner of the tournament, taking the title in 2018 and 2021. Taylor Fritz reached last year’s final but lost to Sinner.

With group play set to start and the Athens tournament likely to determine the final qualifier and influence Djokovic’s decision, the field for the ATP Finals remains partly settled but with important questions still to be answered.