German qualifier Tatjana Maria concluded an incredible week in London as she defeated America’s eighth seed Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to become the first woman to win a title at Queen’s Club in over half a century.
The victory marked the end of a stunning nine-day stretch for World 86, which surprised the second seed and Australian Open Champion Madison Keys in the previous round.
The 37-year-old became the oldest player to win a WTA title since Serena Williams of Auckland in 2020. Maria only fell one set towards the title.
Queens’ Wimbledon warm-up event welcomed back women’s contestants for the first time since 1973, when Soviet Union Orgamorozova won the title.
Maria dominated Anishimoba with a big serve and got an early break on the first set. She took a 4-1 lead and then won 12 points in a row when she held back a short Anisimova comeback to close the set.
Maria again surged to a 4-1 lead, bringing her momentum into two sets. Her seventh ace of the match helped her take a 5-3 lead and appeared in the match two games later to win her first title in two years.
“My dream comes true. When I came here (when) I didn’t think I could hold the trophy in the end,” Maria said. “When we arrived, my little girl said, ‘Wow, that’s a great trophy, so big.’
“In the end, I won it, it’s incredible. I’m so happy. Everything is possible if you believe it. You go your way, it doesn’t matter what it is, but you have to continue. I want to show this to my kids.
Maria lifted her arms as she saw Anishimoba’s forehand sailing heavily at match points and both players were embraced by the net.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if I met you at the Wimbledon Final,” Anishimoba said.
Maria is expected to go up to No. 43 when the new rankings are released Monday. She previously won the WTA title with Grass at Malorca in 2018 and won twice in Bogota Clay in 2022 and 2023, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to the report.
