It has been a decade since Amanda Anisimova made her U.S. Open debut. And she’s only 23.
In 2015, just days after she turned 14, Anisimova, who had been awarded a wild card into the junior girls’ qualifying tournament, won her first two matches over seeded players to reach the main draw. There she lost in the first round to Magdalena Frech, now the WTA’s 30th-ranked player.
Two years later, after a runner-up finish at the French Open juniors in 2016, Anisimova captured the U.S. Open junior title without dropping a set. In the final she needed 10 match points to fend off the 13-year-old future champion, Coco Gauff, 6-0, 6-2.
“That last game was crazy,” Anisimova said at the time. “Possibly the longest game of my life.”
Anisimova has gotten used to playing the long game. Now about to turn 24 during this year’s U.S. Open, she has moved into the world’s top 10 after winning a title at the WTA 1000 event in Doha, Qatar, in February and reaching the final at Wimbledon, where she upset the top seed, Aryna Sabalenka, in the semifinals before falling 6-0, 6-0 in the final to Iga Swiatek.
After her Wimbledon defeat, Anisimova quickly dried her tears and expressed the long view.
“It’s not how I would have wanted my first Grand Slam final to go,” she said after the match. “I think I was a little bit in shock after, as well. But I told myself I’ll definitely come out stronger after this.”
This year marks Anisimova’s eighth time playing in the women’s draw at the U.S. Open, dating from 2016 when she was awarded a wild card. Her game is bolstered by a sturdy nearly-six-foot frame and an ability to direct powerful inside-out forehand returns that often bewilder her opponents.
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The post She Played Her First U.S. Open at 14 and Is Back for the Eighth Time appeared first on New York Times.
