NEW YORK: American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova produced a stunning upset of Iga Swiatek to reach the semifinals of the US Open on Wednesday and avenge her Wimbledon final drubbing.
Anisimova — who suffered a crushing 6-0, 6-0 defeat as Swiatek clinched her first Wimbledon title in July — bounced back from that double-bagel disaster to win 6-4, 6-3 on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
Polish second seed Swiatek entered the US Open as the bookmakers’ favorite after following up her triumph at Wimbledon with victory in the WTA Cincinnati Open event last month.
But the six-time Grand Slam champion’s hopes of adding a second US Open title to her collection were dashed as Anisimova roared to a redemptive victory in an absorbing one hour 36-minute battle.
“To come back from Wimbledon like that is really special to me,” said Anisimova, who clinched victory in the second set after a net cord bounced in her favor on match point.
“I feel like I worked so hard to turn it around after that... I knew I was going to have to dig really deep. It was such a tough match, truly a battle for me,” added the American, whose lopsided loss at Wimbledon was only the third Grand Slam final in history where a player had lost without winning a game.
Wednesday’s quarter-final had started ominously for Anisimova, with the American being broken in the first game of the opening set to give Swiatek the early initiative.
But Anisimova responded immediately to break and get it back on serve.
Anisimova was under pressure though in the fifth game, finding herself two break points down at 15-40. She dug herself out of that hole to hold for a 3-2 lead.
The breakthrough game in the 10th game when Swiatek’s shaky serve once again left her in trouble at 15-40 down to leave Anisimova with two set points.
Swiatek saved the first but then slashed a wild forehand long to the back of the court to give Anisimova a one-set lead.
Swiatek attempted to regroup in the second set and got an early break before opening up a 2-0 lead.
But Anisimova once again exploited Swiatek’s weakness on serve to break back.
Another net cord in Anisimova’s favor gave her a 4-3 lead, and then Swiatek double-faulted on break point to leave her opponent serving for the match.
Anisimova raced to 40-0 to take three match points, and although Swiatek saved the first two, the tennis gods were clearly on her rival’s side as another net cord bounced just out of Swiatek’s reach to seal victory.
The 24-year-old Anisimova will play two-time former US Open champion Naomi Osaka or Czech 11th seed Karolina Muchova on Thursday for a place in the final.
Anisimova stuns Swiatek to reach US Open semifinals
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Anisimova stuns Swiatek to reach US Open semifinals
- The 24-year-old Anisimova will play two-time former US Open champion Naomi Osaka or Czech 11th seed Karolina Muchova on Thursday for a place in the final
Ruthless Sinner subdues Fonseca to reach Indian Wells quarter-finals
- Sinner will face another fast-rising youngster in 20-year-old Learner Tien of the United States for a place in the semifinals
INDIAN WELLS, United States: Four-time major champion Jannik Sinner edged talented Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4) in a scintillating Stadium Court clash on Tuesday to reach the quarter-finals at Indian Wells.
The first meeting between the world number two Sinner and the big-hitting 19-year-old lived up to expectations, the fireworks sparking a raucous response from a crowd packed with enthusiastic Brazilian fans.
Sinner will face another fast-rising youngster in 20-year-old Learner Tien of the United States for a place in the semifinals.
Fonseca went toe-to-toe with the Italian in a tense first set but was unable to convert his lone break chance and Sinner failed to capitalize on two.
A couple of uncharacteristic Sinner errors helped Fonseca power to a 6-3 lead in the tiebreaker, but the Italian responded, denying one set point with an ace to launch a run of five straight points that sealed the set.
Sinner looked headed to a comfortable victory with a break for 4-2 in the second, but Fonseca wasn’t about to go quietly.
He broke Sinner to love in the ninth game and held for 5-5 as they went to a second tiebreaker.
An ace gave Fonseca a 4-3 lead in the decider, but Sinner surged home with four straight points, polishing off the win with a masterful forehand service return.
“I felt like trying to be as aggressive as possible was the key,” said Sinner, who is chasing a first title in the prestigious Masters 1000 event in the California desert.
“Joao’s an incredible talent, very powerful from both sides. He was serving very well.
“Maybe he dropped a little bit at the end of the second set, but I’m very happy to get through,” Sinner added.
Tien saved two match points to reach his first Masters 1000 quarter-final with a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
“Honestly, after saving match points going into the tiebreak, just felt like I was playing with house money almost, really had nothing to lose,” said Tien, a Southern California native who has fond memories of attending the tournament as a child.
Arthur Fils’s injury comeback gathered pace as the Frenchman upset ninth-ranked Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 7-6 (11/9) to book a quarter-final meeting with fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev.
Germany’s Zverev downed American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4.
Fils is in the Indian Wells last eight for the second straight year, but it’s been a twisting road to arrive there.
Tough competitor
Back trouble kept him off the courts for eight months, but since a return at Montpellier last month he has impressed with a run to the final in Doha.
The 21-year-old, now ranked 32nd in the world, appeared to be in control with a 4-2 lead in the second set. But he let that advantage slip away and trailed 0-5 in the tiebreaker before he steadied, saving five set points before wrapping up the straight-sets win.
“I was at 0-5 in the tie-break and I was going to my box and complaining and complaining,” he said, adding that the advice he got was to stop complaining and focus on the match.
“I tried to focus as best I could. Not too much emotion, celebration. Just tunnel vision and I am happy with it,” said Fils, who let the emotion emerge again with a mighty chest thump after putting away match point.
