New Delhi: American tennis player Amanda Anisimova knocked Japanese player Naomi Osaka out 2-1 in Women’s singles round 3 of the Australia Open 2022 at the Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne Park, on Friday, January 21, 2022.
The first set began with the unseeded 20-year-old struggling to pace with the defending champion. Osaka was leading with an early breakpoint and advanced to a smooth 6-4 victory. However, she wasted time in the second set as she failed two convert two breakpoints on Anisimova’s serves.
Anisimova soon gained momentum and dominated the match. She made aggressive serves and aces with little room for the opponent to score. Though Osaka faced 3 breakpoints, they were broken by game four. On the other hand, Anisimova made groundstrokes and tactical cross-court smashes to win the second set 6-3.
Osaka and Amanda locked horns in the final set. The intense set was tightly knit, with players converting every point. Osaka smashed 2 match points at 5-4 when Anisimova saved the 2 points and smashed an ace to draw 5-5.
The match went into a dramatic tie-breaker where Anisimova smashed an ace at 7-6 (5) and won with scores 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5). She will face Ashleigh Barty in round four on January 23, 2022.
Meanwhile, 2-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka overpowered 15th seed Elina Svitolina 6-0, 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the Grand Slam tournament.
(Avya Mathur)
