Following Emma Raducanu’s surprise defeat yesterday against the Montenegrin Danka Kovinić, the women’s singles race at this year’s Australian Open is proving more unpredictable than ever—and all the more so in the wake of this morning’s match between Naomi Osaka and Amanda Anisimova, which saw Osaka go home in a match that was as thrilling as it was nail-bitingly tense.
It marked a stunning performance by the 20-year-old New Jersey native Anisimova, taking her to a career-high ranking of world number 21. Reaching victory against the tournament’s defending champion in three sets, Anisimova defended two match points in the deciding set with impressive panache before a climactic first-to-10-points tie-break, won 10-5.
“Going into this match I knew I had to be playing sharp,” said Anisimova. “Naomi is an absolute champion so I knew I had to really step up my game. I think I started doing that in the second set. I’m so grateful I was able to play so well today and get this win. It means a lot.”
As a result of the loss, Osaka will face a dramatic drop in the rankings when they are next updated on January 31, placing her outside the top 80. Still, after taking two breaks last season to look after her mental health, her return to the tour was strong. “I think I fought for every point and I can’t be sad about that,” Osaka said. “I’m not God. I can’t win every match. So I just have to take that into account and know that it would be nice to win the tournament, but that’s really special.”
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