Déjà vu: Anisimova follows Paolini's blueprint to reach WTA Finals
Amanda Anisimova’s season has been a slow return to belief.
This year, she reached the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, restoring the form that once made her one of the tour’s brightest prospects. And now, with a win over Jasmine Paolini on Thursday in Beijing, she has secured her spot at the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
Perhaps not by accident, Anisimova’s rise this year parallels Paolini’s breakthrough in 2024, when the Italian reached the Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals before making her first appearance at the season-ending championships.
Their details differ. Anisimova broke through earlier, reaching the French Open semifinals and Wimbledon quarterfinals as a teenager before stepping away from the game. Now 24, she’s reshaping her career with steadier results. Paolini’s surge came later, at 28, built on experience and consistency.
Separated by a year, their seasons follow a similar arc -- sustained results turning potential into permanence.
WTA 1000 breakthroughs
Both campaigns gained traction at the WTA 1000 level. Paolini reached the Cincinnati quarterfinals late in 2023, a run that helped launch her 2024 breakout, which she opened with a WTA 1000 title in Dubai.
Anisimova made her own move with a runner-up finish in Canada last summer before capturing her first WTA 1000 title in Doha this February, defeating two former Grand Slam champions along the way.
Paolini began 2024 ranked No. 30 in the PIF WTA Rankings, while Anisimova started this season at No. 36. Both cracked the top 20 for the first time following their WTA 1000 triumphs, setting the stage for the stretch that followed.
Back-to-back Grand Slam finals
Paolini arrived at Roland Garros in 2024 having never advanced past the second round. She changed that with a breakout run, defeating two Grand Slam champions and rising star Mirra Andreeva before falling to Iga Swiatek in the final.
Anisimova entered Wimbledon with a previous quarterfinal appearance in 2022 but little recent consistency. This year, she broke through, beating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals before losing to -- you guessed it -- Swiatek in the final.
Both returned to another major final soon after. Paolini reached the Wimbledon final a month later, defeating multiple Slam champions before a three-set loss to Barbora Krejcikova. Anisimova followed a similar path, advancing to the US Open final with wins over Swiatek and Naomi Osaka before falling to Sabalenka.
Nearly identical numbers
Paolini finished 2024 with an 18-4 record at the majors. Anisimova sits at 16-4 this season. Their broader results align just as closely:
| Category | Paolini 2024 | Anisimova 2025 |
| Career-high ranking achieved | No. 4 | No. 4* |
| Overall record | 40-21 | 43-17* |
| Top 5 wins | 2 | 3* |
| Semifinals reached | 4 | 5* |
| Return points won | 45.4% | 45.4%* |
| WTA Finals | Yes | Yes |
*Stats as of Oct. 1, 2025
Call it coincidence, call it convergence, but in a sport where numbers rarely lie, these two seasons tell a remarkably similar story.
What’s next?
While Paolini hasn’t matched her 2024 highs, she’s extended her breakthrough into a steady second act. In singles, she captured another WTA 1000 title in Rome, reached the final in Cincinnati and made a semifinal run in Miami. In doubles, she won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, swept both draws in Rome and added another WTA 1000 crown in Doha.
She also helped Italy defend its Billie Jean King Cup title and remains a top 10 mainstay at No. 8.
Anisimova has a chance to go one better by winning a second WTA 1000 title in the same season, something Paolini couldn’t quite pull off last year.
And if she does?
Fittingly, she'll have taken down Paolini on her way to capturing the trophy.