Preview:WTA Finals: Amanda Anisimova vs. Madison Keys – prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far
Sports Mole previews Monday’s WTA Finals round-robin match between Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys, including predictions, head-to-head and their tournament so far.
Aiming to move on from tournament-opening losses in Riyadh, Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova face each other in Monday’s round-robin match at the WTA Finals, seeking to avoid early exits.
Although success does not guarantee that either will stay beyond this stage, defeat undoubtedly signals the end of the losing player’s time at the year-end event, rendering the final match nothing more than a dead rubber.
Match preview
Anisimova’s WTA Finals debut did not go as planned, as Elena Rybakina defeated her in less than an hour on Saturday.
Hoping to have left any first-time nerves behind, the Wimbledon and US Open runner-up returns to the court on Monday to face Keys in the second all-American match at this year’s Finals, after Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula compete in the Steffi Graf Group on Sunday.
Looking to play without nerves in the second match of the Serena Williams Group, the recent Beijing champion is one of the in-form players on the tour, as shown by her 45-17 season record.
The 24-year-old aims for her 46th win at the expense of her rusty compatriot, who had not played competitively since exiting at Flushing Meadows in August until Saturday’s loss to Iga Swiatek.
That result is anticipated for the younger ball-bashing American, who strives to keep fading hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive by eliminating the Australian Open champion.
Keys’s success Down Under was the undeniable high point of her year and career, and nothing can take away that achievement.
However, the 30-year-old’s performances have steadily declined as the season has progressed, possibly due to a dip in motivation or the unrealistic expectation of maintaining those high levels.
Losing to Swiatek in two sets was the expected outcome, and it took just over an hour on the Aussie Open champion’s return to competitive action.
Hoping to last longer than an hour this time, Keys aims for her 38th triumph of 2025 to improve a 37-14 record for the season and have a chance of progressing to the last four.
However, a five-match losing run against top-10 opponents does not bode well: the world No. 7 has been beaten by Aryna Sabalenka, twice by Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina since winning five such matches at the turn of the year.
Tournament so far
Amanda Anisimova:
Round Robin: vs. Elena Rybakina 3-6 1-6
Madison Keys:
Round Robin: vs. Iga Swiatek 1-6 2-6
Head To Head
Anisimova and Keys will face each other for the first time on the women’s tour ahead of Monday’s match in Riyadh, with the winner taking a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head.
The two-time Grand Slam runner-up has a season record of 45-17, outdoing her compatriot, whose 37-14 record is partly due to limited competitive match play since losing to Renata Zarazua at the US Open, causing her to miss the entire Asian swing.
Despite losing to Rybakina on Saturday, Anisimova maintains an 8-4 winning record against top-10 players this year; meanwhile, Keys has lost her last five matches against top-tier players, after winning her first five at the start of the season.
We say: Anisimova to win in two sets
While both players effectively share similar all-or-nothing game styles, Anisimova’s recent run to the US Open final and Beijing title should count for something against the rusty Keys.
As a result, the 24-year-old is favoured to win Monday’s all-American battle in the Serena Williams Group, thereby entering her final round-robin match with Swiatek with everything to play for but ending Keys’s run in Riyadh.
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