Amanda Anisimova reveals how her mother Olga's key words of encouragement helped her beat Iga Swiatek to reach WTA Finals SF

On Wednesday, November 5, Amanda Anisimova outdid Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals in a gruelling three-set battle. After the match, the American revealed the key words of encouragement from her mom Olga that helped her overcome the World No.2.

Anisimova’s campaign in Riyadh got off to a shaky start after she was dealt a swift defeat at the hands of Elena Rybakina. However, the 24-year-old made a quick recovery, outdoing Madison Keys for her second group stage encounter at the event.

After her triumph over Keys, Amanda Anisimova faced off against Swiatek, coming back from a set down to defeat the Pole 6(3)-7, 6-4, 6-2 and seal her spot in the last four of the WTA Finals. In an on-court interview after her victory over Swiatek, Anisimova revealed how her mother Olga played a role in her win, saying,

“It's so funny. My mom keeps telling me like, you know, you've won like so many three set matches this year. Like you're so strong, you can do it. So I was actually thinking about that because you know when you're playing so many matches, you don't even realize the stats. So, yeah, especially against Iga today, it was so, so tough, but I think I was just honestly enjoying it and, yeah, I knew it was going to be a battle, so I just told myself to enjoy the challenge and I think I did that today.”

With this win over Iga Swiatek, Anisimova has also pulled ahead in the duo's head-to-head record, having won two of their three encounters.

Amanda Anisimova opens up about making it to the semifinals in her debut at the WTA Finals

Anisimova at the WTA Finals 2025 (Image Source: Getty)

For Amanda Anisimova, her appearance at the 2025 WTA Finals marks her debut at the event. After her triumph against Iga Swiatek, the American reflected on making it to the semifinals of the event in her first try, calling the experience ‘surreal’.

“Yeah, I mean, I'm so excited. This is surreal, especially for my first time playing here. And thank you guys for the.support today. You guys were amazing and I think you really carried me through this whole.match. So, thank you to my supporters and you better come to my next one.”

Amanda Anisimova will be joined in the semifinals of the WTA Tour Finals by Elena Rybakina. Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula are still in the running for the remaining two spots of the last four.

Edited by Riddhi Acharya