World No. 4 Amanda Anisimova was in great spirits and cracking jokes after beating world No. 6 Jessica Pegula in the Miami exhibition.
Between 2020 and 2024, Anisimova, 24, and 31-year-old Pegula met three times, with the elder American triumphing each time (2020 Cincinnati, 2024 Charleston and 2024 Toronto). However, it should be noted that the 24-year-old wasn't far from winning their 2024 Charleston and Toronto meetings as those were three-set battles.
On Sunday, Anisimova took the opening set in their New Jersey exhibition before falling just short 3-6 7-6 (5) 10-8. The following day, they clashed once again - this time in Miami - and the match saw the 2025 Wimbledon and US Open runner-upfinally beating Pegula 6-2 7-5.
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Anisimova after beating Pegula: I feel like it has taken me 10 years
"Yeah, I feel like its taken me 10 years, so its really nice to be standing here today. No, Im kidding. But yeah, I mean, Jess is an incredible player, and its always such a tough match playing against her, even at the exhibitions. We played in Jersey last night. I dont know if you guys got a chance to catch that. And yeah, we had another great match today, so its always a lot of fun. I love playing here in Miami. So maybe because of that. I had my home crowd here and yeah, Im just really excited to be here. Its super special to play here at home," the 24-year-old said on Tennis Channel.
Anisimova may have beaten Pegula in Miami, but she remains 0-3 against the 31-year-old in their official WTA head-to-head since exhibitions are not counted as official wins or losses.
Anisimova and Pegula not meeting in any WTA matches this year was kind of surprising, considering that they are two top-10 players.
