Australian Open champ is officially knocked out of the WTA Finals 2025.
Two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova battled from a set down to beat Madison Keys 4-6 6-3 6-2 at the WTA Finals 2025 on Monday. After the match however, the two players interestingly did not shake hands with one another. The 30-year-old made a gesture to her American counterpart, following which both players shook hands with the chair umpire and went their own separate ways.
Keys started the match in fine style, before a drop in level resulted in her elimination from the competition. It has been a breakthrough year for the reigning Australian Open champion, who made her Top-5 debut and earned the most ranking points in a single season as well. While the World No. 7 is scheduled to face Elena Rybakina in a dead rubber on Wednesday, Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek will lock horns with qualification on the line.
Anisimova was a set and a break down against Keys, before she scripted a magnificent turnaround. There were some tense baseline exchanges which began to go the 24-year-old’s way – just as Keys was losing some gas in the tank. In the end, Anisimova won 12 of the last 15 games and the comeback was complete in an hour and 44 minutes. But why didn’t the two players shake hands after the encounter?
Madison Keys did not shake hands with Amanda Anisimova at the WTA Finals 2025 due to illness. The No. 7 seed signaled to her opponent that she wasn’t feeling too great, and asked Anisimova not to risk coming in contact with her. She pointed towards her stomach and chest, and proceeded to walk off without shaking the chair umpire’s hand either. Keys had already lost to Swiatek earlier in the tournament – officially ending her hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages in the process.
In the aftermath of Keys’ gesture, there is speculation that Mirra Andreeva [Alternate] may be called in to compete in the final Group Stage duel against Rybakina. The Kazakh powerhouse is currently in pole position in the Serena Williams Group, and will be looking to enter the semifinals with some fierce momentum. On the other hand, the 18-year-old Russian is currently featuring in the women’s doubles draw alongside Diana Shnaider in Riyadh.
“I feel like every time I come out here, my opponent is playing some crazy tennis,” Anisimova said after her win. It has been a massive 2025 campaign for the New Jersey local, wherein she won her maiden WTA-1000 crown and also reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals. She made her Top-10 debut in July, before achieving a current and career-high World No. 4 ranking.
“It has been a difficult few matches. Today for sure Madi [Madison Keys] was playing so well, and it was quite a battle out there. I’m just really happy with the way I was able to turn it around in the second set, and kind of turn that frown upside down,” she continued. The 24-year-old returns to Centre Court to face Iga Swiatek on Wednesday.
(Image Credits: David Kirouac, Imagn Images)
