Amanda Anisimova wins Eisenhower Cup Tie Break Tens in Indian Wells
Amanda Anisimova beat Maria Sakkari to win this year's Eisenhower Cup Tie Break Tens at Indian Wells on Tuesday night.
The Tie Break Tens is an exhibition tournament where players compete in 10-point tie-breaks across a session of three-and-a-half hours. This year marked the 10th edition of the tournament and the second time it was held in Indian Wells.
Anisimova was a last-minute addition to the competition following the withdrawal of Barbora Krejcikova.
In her first match, she faced Naomi Osaka, who had won the tournament back in 2017. Anisimova beat the former top-ranked player 10-3 to set up a semi-final showdown with Paula Badosa, who had earlier thrashed Leylah Fernandez 10-3.
On the other side of the draw, Aryna Sabalenka edged Simona Halep 10-7, while Maria Sakkari beat Ons Jabeur 10-6.
In the semifinals, Anisimova beat Badosa 10-6 and Sakkari defeated Sabalenka 10-5.
The American beat Sakkari 10-7 in the final to win the tournament.
YOUR #TIEBREAKTENS CHAMPION HAS BEEN CROWNED! 🏆🏆
#AmandaAnisimova defeats #Sakkari in the final to take home the trophy and the 150,000 prize money and pledges to donate to help the people of Ukraine 👏👏👏👏👏
#TieBreakTens #EveryPointCounts #IndianWells #Anisimova https://t.co/2tSJzG4Tr9
The 20-year-old collected a cheque worth $150,000 for her win. Anisimova, who is of Russian origin, said in her post-match speech that she would donate some of her prize money to the relief efforts in Ukraine.
"This trophy is much nicer than both of the ones I have combined," he said. "But I am happy and I'll definitely be donating my prize money to the Ukrainian Relief Fund because everyday is extremely sad and you know, we are here and enjoying but it's very hard to just live normally."
Naomi Osaka dons the North Carolina Courage jersey in Tie Break Tens
Although Naomi Osaka lost convincingly in the first round of the event, she made headlines with her outfit. The four-time Grand Slam champion wore the jersey of National Women's Soccer League club North Carolina Courage, which she co-owns with Medfusion founder Steve Malik.
on you!We feel the love, @naomiosaka! We're so proud you're part of our Courage family — the new kit looks 🔥 on you! https://t.co/K6xbMfcIYt
Like any other exhibition tournament, the Tie Break Tens was quite entertaining. Ons Jabeur was even seen taking pictures of Aryna Sabalenka, who posed for the Tunisian.
Strike a pose, @SabalenkaA 📸
Staff photog @Ons_Jabeur is on it 😂
#IndianWells https://t.co/1xf1iWEp7J
Meanwhile, main-draw action at the BNP Paribas Open begins on Wednesday on the women's side, with the men's matches to follow a day later.