American teen Anisimova reaches quarterfinals
— To Amanda Anisimova, it seems “like, forever ago” that she was playing in the French Open main draw for the first time.
For the record: It’s been all of two years.
Ah, to be young again. Still only 17, and ranked
51st, the precocious American with the quick-strike strokes and self-described “effortless shots” became the first player born in the
2000s to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal, overwhelming Aliona Bolsova of Spain 6-3, 6-0 at Roland Garros on Monday and earning the right to face defending champion Simona Halep next.
Anisimova, born in New Jersey and based in Florida, is the youngest U.S. player to get to the round of eight in Paris since Jennifer Capriati in 1993, the youngest from any country since
2006.
Not that she’s keeping track, mind you.
“I have no idea about who did what at what age. People tell me, and then I just forget after a second. I don’t really care about it too much,” said Anisimova. “I’m in the present and I want to do good and I hope for good results, but I don’t really think about how old I am.”
Now she will take on the
27-year-old Halep, the No. 3 seed, who dispatched another teenager, Iga Swiatek of Poland, by a 6-1, 6-0 score Monday.
When someone asked about going from an 18year-old opponent in Swiatek to Anisimova, Halep’s initial reply was: “I feel old.”
“To play against someone
10 years younger than me, that’s not easy. But I feel stronger on court,” she said. “They’re young. They have nothing to lose. So every match is tough.”
Halep is one of only two women left in the draw who already own a major title. The other quarterfinal matchup on her half is No.
8 Ash Barty of Australia against No. 14 Madison Keys of the U.S.
Barty beat Sofia Kenin
6-3, 3-6, 6-0 Monday and Keys defeated Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-4
In Tuesday’s quarterfinals on the other half of the bracket, 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens meets No. 26 Johanna Konta of Britain, and No. 31 Petra Martic of Croatia faces
19-year-old Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech RePARIS public.
In the men’s quarterfinals, it’ll be No. 3 Roger Federer vs. No. 24 Stan Wawrinka, and No. 2 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 7 Kei Nishikori on Tuesday, followed by No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 5 Alexander Zverev, and No. 4 Dominic Thiem vs. No. 10 Karen Khachanov on Wednesday.
In Monday’s action, Djokovic beat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, Thiem defeated No. 14 Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-4, 6-2; Zverev topped No. 9 Fabio Fognini
3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (5), Nishikori outlasted Benoit Paire
6-2, 6-7 (8), 6-2, 6-7 (8), 7-5 and Khachanov got past No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro
7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Stephens, the runner-up to Halep in Paris a year ago, joins Keys and Anisimova to give the United States a trio of French Open quarterfinalists for the first time since Capriati and the two Williams sisters made it that far in 2004.