Amanda Anisimova halted Mirra Andreeva’s title defense at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships by defeating her in the quarterfinals. Following her loss in the match, the Russian broke down in tears, which also made Anisimova emotional.
In 2025, Andreeva won the title at the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Dubai by defeating Clara Tauson with a score of 7-6(1), 6-1 in the final, claiming her second WTA Tour singles title.
Amanda Anisimova Sympathetic Towards Mirra Andreeva After Defeating Her in Dubai Tennis Championships QF
Anisimova, the second seed at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships, began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She advanced to the third round via a walkover after her opening-round opponent, Barbora Krejčíková, withdrew due to a left thigh injury.
In the third round, Anisimova eliminated Wild Card Janice Tjen with a score of 6-1, 6-3. In the quarterfinals, she triumphed over defending champion and fifth seed Andreeva with a score of 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(4), advancing to the semifinals.
After her loss to the American, Andreeva was seen getting emotional and breaking down in tears, before making her way to the net to shake hands with Anisimova and the chair umpire.
WHAT A FIGHT 🤯
Amanda Anisimova takes out defending Dubai champ Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) to reach her first semifinal in Dubai 👏 #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/au4zV96mhp
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) February 19, 2026
With her title defense in Dubai halted, the former World No. 5 was also spotted hiding her face behind a towel, crying profusely, and weeping while packing her tennis kit bag.
Andreeva bursts into tears after losing against Anisimova in Dubai pic.twitter.com/nrzXuvsjto
— 🦖 (@RamoFootball) February 19, 2026
During the post-match on-court interview, Anisimova admitted that she was “almost in tears” by the end of the match, describing it as a “tough battle.” She expressed that she understood Andreeva’s emotional reaction, as both players “fought hard” in the match.
“I was almost in tears there at the end. It was such a tough battle I thought we played incredible tennis. Seeing Mirra down like that, it’s understandable. We both fought so hard today. It made me emotional seeing her like that. She was playing so well. She’s the defending champion,” Anisimova said.
The former World No. 3 stated that it is always difficult to see someone who has fought so hard lose in the end.
“I feel like we both won on the court today. I feel like these types of matches, it’s always tough that someone has to lose at the end of the day but yeah I feel like we both played great and I am really happy to be through to the next round,” she added.
Amanda Anisimova had kind words for Mirra Andreeva after beating her in Dubai
“I was almost in tears there at the end. It was such a tough battle I thought we played incredible tennis. Seeing Mirra down like that, it’s understandable. We both fought so hard today. It made me… pic.twitter.com/9wrNETDO5j
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 19, 2026
Before her campaign in Dubai, Anisimova competed at the 2026 Qatar Open, where she retired from her opening match against Karolína Plíšková due to illness, with the score at 7-5, 6-7(3), 1-4 (retd).
Who Will Anisimova Face at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships SF?
Following her victory over Andreeva in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships, Anisimova is set to face Jessica Pegula in the semifinals of the tournament.
Pegula is seeded fourth in Dubai, and she began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She defeated qualifier Varvara Gracheva (6-4, 6-0) in her opening match and then eliminated fellow American, 16th seed Iva Jovic (6-4, 6-2) in the third round. She secured her place in the semifinals by defeating 12th seed Tauson (6-3, 2-6, 6-4) in the quarterfinals.
Anisimova and Pegula have faced each other four times on the WTA Tour, with the latter winning all four matches. Their most recent encounter was in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Australian Open, where Pegula secured a 6-2, 7-6(1) victory.
The winner of the semifinal match between Anisimova and Pegula at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships will advance to face either third seed Coco Gauff, seventh seed Elina Svitolina, or lucky loser Antonia Ružić in the final.
