WTA London: Zheng vs Anisimova – Semifinal

WTA London: Zheng vs Anisimova – Semifinal Preview

🧠 Form & Context

Zheng Qinwen
🔥 Top-5 Pedigree: Semifinalist in Rome and quarterfinalist at Roland Garros—one of the most consistent WTA players in 2025.
🧱 Built for Big Matches: Has reached 10 QF-or-better rounds this year, showcasing elite match-play composure.
🌱 Grass Potential, Untapped: Limited grass experience (5 wins prior to this week), but her power baseline game shows promise.
🧠 Mental Edge: Leads Anisimova 2–0 in H2H, including a comeback win at the 2024 US Open.

Amanda Anisimova
📈 Resurgence Story: Climbed from outside the Top 100 to Doha finalist and now a London semifinalist—2025 is her bounce-back year.
🌿 Grass Confidence Growing: Three straight wins in Queen’s Club, dropping just one set; clean timing a weapon on this surface.
🧠 Seeking Revenge: Lost both prior matches to Zheng but enters with confidence and sharp form.
🏆 Elite Wins in 2025: Took out Sabalenka, Raducanu, and Kostyuk—can beat top-tier opponents under pressure.

🔍 Match Breakdown

This semifinal features two contrasting approaches: Zheng’s athleticism and tactical adaptability vs Anisimova’s raw shot-making and early ball contact.

Anisimova needs a fast start, relying on aggressive returns and baseline precision. Her best chance lies in short points and first-strike tennis. If she’s forced into prolonged rallies, Zheng’s superior footwork and consistency could grind her down.

Zheng, meanwhile, will look to play patient power tennis—absorbing Anisimova’s pace, changing depth and direction, and forcing errors. She has proven resilient in high-pressure moments and could again exploit the mental edge of past wins.

🔮 Prediction

Expect a high-quality, see-saw battle. Anisimova will land blows with clean winners, but Zheng’s deeper toolbox and superior rally tolerance should allow her to seize control late in the match.

🧩 Pick: Zheng Qinwen in 3 sets
🎾 Handicap Tip: Anisimova +2.5 games – strong enough to keep it close
📏 Total Games: Over 22.5 – likely to feature at least one tiebreak or deep third set

---

📊 Tale of the Tape

• H2H: Zheng leads 2–0 (last win at 2024 US Open)
• 2025 Grass W/L: Zheng 3–0 | Anisimova 3–0
• 2025 Overall W/L: Zheng 31–10 | Anisimova 24–8
• Top-10 Wins in 2025: Zheng (Gauff, Sakkari), Anisimova (Sabalenka)
• Preferred Style: Zheng – athletic and structured | Anisimova – aggressive and fluid
• Mental Edge: Zheng with H2H and better three-set record