Anisimova savours her special day
Rising star stuns Gauff as she rediscovers the joy of tennis
WHAT a quirk of fate it would be if, in this year of the ban, the winner of the ladies singles is a daughter of Russian parents.
After the way 20-year-old Amanda Anisimova blasted her way through fellow American prodigy Coco Gauff yesterday, that looks a distinct possibility.
Anisimova’s story begins in Moscow in 1998 in the aftermath of conflict. The first war in Chechnya crippled the Russian economy causing the ‘Rouble Crisis’ and Olga and Konstantin Anisimova headed west. Three years later in Freehold, New Jersey, Amanda was born.
Next they went south to the tennis-rich land of Florida and from there Anisimova’s rise towards superstardom was smooth, until it wasn’t.
She reached the semi-finals of the French Open aged 17 in 2019. Two months later Konstatin died of a heart attack. Her recovery from the impact of that catastrophe has been a long, hard road.
This year she has rediscovered joy in her tennis and is on the cusp of overtaking her career-high ranking of 21. Yesterday, after a 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 win, Anisimova lay on the grass drinking it all in.
‘It was extremely special to play on Centre Court for the first time in my life,’ she said. ‘I was trying to soak in every moment. I wouldn’t have pictured myself in this position coming off so many losses last year. Having this moment… it just means a lot.’
While Anisimova was making her debut in the grand old arena, for 18-year-old Gauff this was a sixth appearance.
Given that, it was no surprise to see 11th seed Gauff making the faster start to open up a 3-0 lead. The next six games, all of which went to deuce, was perhaps the most absorbing passage of play on Centre Court this week.
Tennis at the highest level can feel like a non-contact boxing match. Anisimova landed concussive punches while Gauff jabbed and teased, tempting her foe to swing too hard in windy conditions.
There were so many highlights: a cute volley from Anisimova; a drop-shot-lob combination from Gauff. At different stages in the first set both were prostrate on the grass amid the power and athleticism of the combat.
Inevitably, the first set crescendoed to a tiebreak and a bad miss at the net by Anisimova gave Gauff the chance to close it out.
From there the dimensions of the match began to change. Anisimova landed 84 per cent of her first serves in the second set and from that foundation she launched sustained a barrage of groundstrokes, especially on her favoured backhand side.
Gauff’s athleticism was just about keeping her in it but in the deciding set Anisimova blew her away.
‘In the third set I was cramping in my leg, so I was trying to be more aggressive,’ said Anisimova. ‘Also the wind calmed down so I was able to go for my shots more.’
A magnificent contest in its own right, this was a glimpse of what could become a blockbuster rivalry. I think we’ll be playing a lot in the future, said Anisimova of Gauff. ‘It’s an exciting rivalry.’ A packed Centre Court crowd was richly entertained, having doubtless awoke cursing the All England Club schedulers for denying them the chance to watch Nick Kyrgios and Katie Boulter.
And it was followed by a match of equal quality, as Paula Badosa edged out two-time champion Petra Kvitova 7-5, 7-6. Perhaps the order of play committee know what they are talking about after all.
Badosa may be the fourth seed but this was something of an upset given Kvitova’s grass-court expertise. But the 24-year-old Spaniard got enough balls back to come out on top and set up a clash with Simona Halep.