Amanda Anisimova broke down in tears Australian Open Championship During an upset first round loss to Marta Kostyuk. The twenty-eighth seed from America She fell 6-3, 6-4 to her Ukrainian opponent Monday in the first big upset of the tournament at Melbourne Park.
Anisimova became the first seeded victim to come out of the first major tournament of 2023, and she was in tears even before the match was over. Prominent tennis writer Jose Morgado tweeted: “Amanda Anisimova, who had a thrilling slam season in 2022, is the top seed to lose at AusOpen 2023. Anisimova was in tears before the match ended.”
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Anisimova, the 25th seed Marie Bouzkova, followed shortly thereafter. Bouzkova lost 6-2 6-4 to former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, who is on her way to regaining the rankings after a few years of injury.
Anisimova was among the five American women seeded in the top half of the draw at Melbourne Park. World No. 3 Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff scored 7 dominant wins earlier, before 13th seed Danielle Collins survived a scare against Anna Kalinskaya to win 7-5, 5-7, 6-4.
Pegula wasted no time stamping her credentials, as she reached the second round in just 59 minutes. One of the favorites to win the title alongside world No. 1 Iga Swiatec, Pegula beat Romania’s Jacqueline Christian 6-0, 6-1.
Pegula won the first nine games of the match at Margaret Court Arena before sealing a lopsided win with a header. The American has emerged as a genuine title contender after crushing Swiatek in straight sets at the United Cup in Sydney recently.
She reached the quarter-finals in her first two tournaments in Australia, losing at the hands of eventual champion Ash Barty in 2022. Fellow American Gough did it even tougher and needed seven match points to defeat Czech doubles star Katerina Siniakova 6-1, 6-4.
“I’m very happy about that,” said the 18-year-old Goff. “Katrina is a fighter. I knew she would fight to the last point and she proved it today. We had some excellent points in that last match.”
Gauff has yet to taste defeat in 2023, having won the title at the ASB Classic in Auckland. She was a Grand Slam finalist at the French Open last year and will be looking to move forward in 2023.
Fans were left respectful of Anisimova despite other American victories. Some called her performance “terrible” and “disappointing”.
Young Australian Olivia Jadecki scores a stunning win
Meanwhile, a rising Australian star Olivia Jadecky won in her first Grand Slam appearanceBy defeating Russia’s Polina Kudrmitova 7-5, 6-1. Coached by Queensland teammate Barty, Gadecki lost six consecutive matches in the second set on her way to victory.
“I really can’t believe it. I’m speechless,” Gadecki said after the win. The 20-year-old will now face Kostyuk in the second round.
The win came in Jadecki’s first match at Grand Slam level. She was supposed to make her Australian Open debut last year but was unable to play after opting not to get a Covid-19 vaccine.
“I knew what my decision entailed and I just focused on doing the best I could with what I had and tried to play the rest of the year,” she said last month. “Last year was a bit difficult with injuries. I’ve struggled a bit in the last five or six months.
“I know I can play at a higher level but I just look at all the little things that I have to do well to get there. I’m just looking forward to enjoying the experience and hopefully I get a couple of games under my belt.”
Emma Raducano also qualified for the second round with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Germany’s Tamara Korbach. 2021 US Open champion He came into the Australian Open under an injury cloud After retiring he poured into the ASB Classic.
with AAP
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