Amanda Anisimova was the victim of the worst major final loss since 1988, getting served a double bagel by Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon back in July. Now, the American will have a chance for some revenge.
Anisimova cruised into the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, where Swiatek awaits, by beating Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-0, 6-3 on Monday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with the match taking just 75 minutes.
Swiatek had put together her own easy win in the Round of 16 earlier in the day, beating Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-1.
“Who would’ve thought that we would be meeting again so soon?” Anisimova said in her on-court interview. “I’m super excited. It’s gonna be a great match I hope — this time. I’m feeling good. She’s playing some great tennis, so I really hope that we’ll put on a great performance.”
Anisimova and fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula are the only two Americans left in the women’s singles draw.
A native of Freehold Township, N.J., Anisimova’s run to the Wimbledon final earlier this summer was her best result at a Grand Slam.
Monday night was devoid of any drama for Anisimova.
The first set took her just 26 minutes to wrap up as Haddad Maia hit four double-faults and never looked at ease with her serve.
Haddad Maia was more competitive in the second set, but never led and remained inconsistent on serve, with Anisimova breaking three more times.
Anisimova finished the match with 27 winners and joked afterward that she didn’t get much support from the crowd, which rooted for the Brazilian largely out of a desire to avoid going home early.
“It’s the Round of 16, and there’s gonna be nerves,” Anisimova said. “Especially against Bea, who is such a tough opponent I really have to stay mentally strong. … I love playing on big stages, so I feel like my game, I play so freely out here. I was really enjoying it, and I’m really happy I was able to put on a good performance today.”
After Coco Gauff’s loss earlier Monday, Swiatek is the highest-ranked player remaining in the women’s draw, and she has not lost since July 27 in Montreal.
She rolled through the field at Cincinnati without dropping a set and has been pushed to three sets just once so far in New York.
The 2022 champ now is the favorite to win here again, but Anisimova will have no trouble finding home crowd support Wednesday, when she will be the underdog looking to rewrite the narrative.
If Monday was any indication, she’ll be in with a puncher’s chance.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
