Amanda Anisimova jokes about finally ending '10-year wait' with 1st win over Jessica Pegula at 'super special' Miami Invitational

Amanda Anisimova was all smiles after defeating Jessica Pegula for the first time in her career at the recent Miami Invitational exhibition event. Anisimova jokingly said that it felt like she had to wait ten years to register a win over such an experienced compatriot. The 24-year-old also laid bare her delight at having achieved the feat in Miami, the city that has been her home since her childhood days.

A day before clashing at the Miami Invitational, Anisimova and Pegula locked horns at A Racquet at The Rock, an exhibition event that took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Here, it was the latter who came out on top with a fighting comeback victory.

On Monday, December 8, the two top 10 WTA stars were at it again. However, this time, it was Amanda Anisimova who emerged victorious. Even though the result didn't really count, considering the exhibition status of the event, the World No. 4 sounded relieved to have finally won a match against Jessica Pegula. In her post-match, on-court interview, Anisimova said:

"It feels like it's taken me ten years (to beat Pegula), so it's really nice to be standing here today. Haha, I'm kidding, but yeah, Jess is an incredible player and it's always such a tough match playing against her, even at the exhibitions. We played in Jersey last night, I don't know if you guys got a chance to catch that, and we had another great match today, so it's always a lot of fun."

Subsequently, the interviewer asked Anisimova how she found the fighting spirit to snap her losing streak against Pegula. Expressing surprise at the serious nature of the question considering the fact that the Miami Invitational was an exhibition and not a competitive tournament, the 24-year-old said:

"Oh my God you're asking this as if we're back at the tournaments. We're still not there yet. I love playing here in Miami, maybe because of that. And I had my home crowd here and yeah, I'm excited to be here and it's super special for me to play at home."

Amanda Anisimova winless against Jessica Pegula in three competitive meetings so far

Amanda Anisimova (left) and Jessica Pegula (right) after the conclusion of the women's singles final of the 2024 Canadian Open (Source: Getty)

Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula's maiden competitive encounter was in the Round of 32 at the 2020 Cincinnati Open. Pegula registered a relatively straightforward 7-5, 6-2 win over Anisimova, who at the time was still a fair distance away from being the formidable force she is today.

The Americans' second WTA Tour-level clash took place four years later in another Round of 32 clash, this time at the 2024 Charleston Open. Pegula lost the first set on this occasion but mounted a spirited comeback, ultimately winning the second and third sets to oust Anisimova from the WTA 500 event.

Their most recent competitive meeting came in the final of the WTA 1000 Canadian Open last year. This time around, the match was a tale of three very contrasting sets. Jessica Pegula dominated the first set, while Amanda Anisimova controlled the second, but eventually, it was the veteran who took charge of proceedings in the decisive third to deny her young compatriot the prestigious title.