Anisimova bravely takes down defending champion Naomi Osaka in Melbourne

Friday, 21 January 2022 at 11:37

Amanda Anisimova put forward a brilliant display in a comeback win over Naomi Osaka in Melbourne 4-6 6-3 7-6 (10-5).

Naomi Osaka started off the match much better than her opponent. Anisimova was quite nervous and shaky and most of the things she tried on the court did not work. Osaka almost took a double break lead but Anisimova was able to keep it close. After that, both players settled in a bit and Osaka did not push the issue too much.

Anisimova forced a break point but wasn't able to convert it. Naomi was able to keep herself on top with some great serving and won the first set with 6-4. The 2nd set was very interesting as both players had to save break points early. Ultimately, Anisimova was able to come out on top taking a 4-1 lead. She was able to keep it as Osaka did not even try that hard to fight back into it.

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Anisimova's confidence grew after the 2nd set and she played rather well in the 3rd set. She was more consistent than Osaka from the baseline but the Japanese player was able to keep herself afloat with her serve. Both had break points early in the 3rd but neither converted them. The 3rd set went into a tiebreak where Osaka struggled early on.

As the match went on, Osaka struggled immensely with her return giving Anisimova a lot of free points on the serve. She simply could not put the ball into the court and when she did, it was short and Anisimova had an easy job of finishing the point. That's what happened in the match tiebreak as Anisimova dominated the rallies and outplayed Osaka by a wide margin. She won it 10-5 to knock out the defending champion.

José Morgado

@josemorgado

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The champ is out! Amanda Anisimova saves 2 match points and beats the defending champion Naomi Osaka 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(10-5) to reach the last 16 against #1 Ash Barty. Anisimova now 8-0 in 2022.