Anna Siskova: Czech Tennis Sensation Pulls Off Historic Upset at Wimbledon 2025

Czech qualifier Anna Siskova has turned the clay courts of the 2025 UniCredit Iasi Open into her personal breakthrough stage, stunning No. 3 seed Ann Li 6-3, 6-3 to book the first WTA Tour quarter-final of her career. Siskova, ranked No. 228 entering the week, needed two wins in qualifying just to make the main draw. She then edged Poland’s Katarzyna Kawa in a deciding-set tie-break before toppling former world No. 44 Li with aggressive baseline hitting and deft touch at net. The 24-year-old won 74 percent of first-serve points and broke Li five times, repeatedly wrong-footing the American with her heavy topspin forehand. “I came here with zero expectations; now I’m playing the best tennis of my life,” Siskova said in her on-court interview. “I stayed brave on the big points and trusted my serve-plus-forehand pattern.” The victory makes Siskova the first Czech qualifier to reach a WTA quarter-final since Linda Noskova’s 2022 run in Prague. It also guarantees a new career-high ranking, projected to rise inside the top 190 should she reach the semis. Next up is Romanian favorite and former world No. 22 Irina-Camelia Begu, a four-time WTA titlist who dismissed Jule Niemeier earlier on Center Court. The Begu-Siskova showdown promises contrasting styles: the seasoned counter-puncher versus the fearless shot-maker hunting for the biggest scalp of her career. Key facts about Anna Siskova • Age: 24 — Born May 22, 2001 in Přerov, Czech Republic • Current ranking: No. 228 (career high No. 221 in April 2025) • Career titles: 9 ITF singles, 14 ITF doubles • Game style: left-handed, heavy forehand, keen to finish points at the net • Coaching team: father and former pro Jaroslav Šisak, fitness coach Petr Hroch What’s fueling this surge? 1. Clay-court confidence: Siskova collected back-to-back ITF titles on red clay in Zagreb and Oeiras this spring, boosting belief against higher-ranked opposition. 2. Improved fitness: an off-season block focused on explosive footwork now lets her slide into defensive positions and reset rallies. 3. Doubles prowess: ranked inside the top 90 in doubles earlier this year, she uses strong volley skills to close at the net, a weapon that troubled Li repeatedly. SEO impact Fans searching for “Anna Siskova tennis,” “Siskova Iasi upset,” and “Anna Siskova vs Begu” are flocking to live-score pages and social media clips of her highlight-reel forehands. With Wimbledon points dropping and the North American hard-court swing looming, a deep run in Iasi could earn Siskova direct entry into WTA 250 events and potentially the US Open qualifying draw. Match statistics vs Ann Li • Winners-to-errors ratio: 23-14 • Break points converted: 5/8 • Net points won: 11/14 Quarter-final schedule Begu vs Siskova is slated first on Centre Court Friday at 3 p.m. local time (GMT+3). Live streaming will be available via WTA TV and select regional broadcasters. If the Czech maintains her fearless first-strike tennis, the Iasi Open could be remembered as the week Anna Siskova announced herself to the wider tennis world—just in time for the next rankings cutoff and, perhaps, a summer of opportunities.