Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova both had a sense of deja vu on Friday as they were beaten by the same opponents who defeated them at the Australian Open. Gauff lost in three sets to Elina Svitolina, while Anisimova was narrowly beaten by Jessica Pegula.
Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova Experience Australian Open Deja Vu in Dubai
The semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships featured two closely contested matches. Svitolina came out on top against Gauff, winning 6-4, 6-7(13), 6-4. Pegula managed to secure her spot in the final with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.
Gauff’s Australian Open campaign ended in the quarterfinals as she was beaten by Svitolina in straight sets. After what was a frustrating outing for the American, she was spotted angrily smashing her racket as she headed towards the locker room.
Meanwhile, Anisimova was beaten by Pegula in the Australian Open quarterfinals. During the match, the 24-year-old appeared frustrated with herself and her coaching team, as tensions boiled over.
Anisimova appeared to be very much in control against Pegula in Dubai, seeking a measure of revenge. However, despite leading 6-1, 3-1, she couldn’t close out the match, and Pegula improved her head-to-head lead over her to 5-0.
Svitolina and Gauff competed in a tightly contested match in Dubai, with the Ukrainian narrowly coming out on top. The American’s struggles with her serve were evident once again as she was broken six times. Pegula and Svitolina will now contest the Dubai Tennis Championships final on Saturday. Both players appear to be in excellent form at the moment.
Svitolina already has a title to her name this year, while Pegula has made the semifinals at each of her last seven tournaments. Their head-to-head record stands at 5-3 in the Americans’ favor. Both Gauff and Anisimova will turn their focus to the Sunshine Swing, scheduled to begin at the start of next month. They are all set to compete in the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open.
Gauff does not have the best record at Indian Wells or Miami, though she reached the semifinals at Miami in 2024. Anisimova, meanwhile, has yet to make it past the fourth round at either of the two WTA 1000 events.
Both players will be keen to avoid early exits at the two WTA 1000 events amid a tight squeeze in the WTA Rankings, with Svitolina and Pegula very much in the mix.
