Emma Raducanu Weathers Storm From Amanda Anisimova To Progress At Australian Open
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2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu played one of her best matches in the last 12 months to defeat Amanda Anisimova in the second round of the Australian Open.
Raducanu won a hard-fought battle against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the opening round. After two sets that could have gone either way, the Briton triumphed 7-6, 7-6 to set up a highly-anticipated match against Anisimova.
The two players are similar in that they burst onto the scene at a young age. Raducanu was 18 when she unexpectedly won the US Open as a qualifier without dropping a set throughout the tournament at Flushing Meadows.
Anisimova was just 17 when she reached the semifinals of the 2019 French Open. Last year's Canadian Open runner-up was just one set away from the final before succumbing 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 to the eventual champion Ashleigh Barty.
While Raducanu undoubtedly possesses power, Ansimova is one of the hardest ball-strikers on the WTA Tour. Therefore, the 22-year-old knew she would have to withstand some powerful hitting during the contest.
Raducanu started positively by breaking in the opening game. However, Anisimova found her feet and seemed like she would dominate the first set after striking several blistering backhand winners in the next three games.
Anisimova broke for a second time after a long game to take a 3-1 lead. Surprisingly, the American's level declined after that. She was drawn into hitting several unforced errors that repeatedly cost her.
However, that should take nothing away from the quality of Raducanu's defense. The former Grand Slam champion showed excellent athleticism throughout the match, which allowed her to dig out points that looked lost.
That will please her new fitness coach, Yutaka Nakamura. Raducanu hired Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova's former fitness trainer to make her one of the best athletes on the WTA Tour. She made a good start in this contest.
Last year's Nottingham Open semifinalist reeled off five consecutive games to take the opening set 6-3. Raducanu received most of the crowd support throughout the match, and her body language made her look confident of victory at that stage.
Anisimova responded impressively by taking a 3-0 lead in the second set. Raducanu then unexpectedly took a medical timeout to have work done on her back. The Briton withdrew from the ASB Classic in the season's opening week with a back spasm.
Raducanu's movement did not indicate any discomfort, but she may have been hiding it well. The medical timeout broke Anisimova's rhythm, and she began to make more unforced errors afterward.
That was matched by an increase in Raducanu's level. The crowd favorite wrestled back control of the match with smart shot placement and even better defense than the opening set, indicating that the medical timeout may have helped.
Anisimova was on the ropes at 4-5 down and got pushed to deuce in that game, including some scarcely believable defense from Raducanu during one point to take her to within two points of victory.
To Anisimova's credit, she held her nerve with some big hitting to hold for 5-5. She then had a break point to go ahead in the set, but Raducanu showed similar nerve to fend off the danger and go 6-5 up.
The pressure told on Anisimova in the next game. Raducanu hit an outstanding passing shot at 30-30 before completing a 6-3, 7-5 triumph after a backhand error from her opponent.
