Anisimova Overcomes Slow Start With Serving Surge
Amanda Anisimova, widely regarded as having one of the best backhands on the women’s tour, is not typically known for her serve. However, on Thursday she produced a standout serving performance, hitting 20 aces to edge past Sofia Kenin and book her place in the Wimbledon third round.
The American appeared in trouble early in the third set, trailing 3-1, but responded with a dramatic turnaround when her serve began to fire at a crucial moment.
Key Highlights
- Amanda Anisimova hit 20 aces, including nine in the deciding set, to defeat Sofia Kenin and reach the third round at Wimbledon.
- The American was trailing 3-1 in the third set before staging a comeback powered by a sudden serving surge.
- Anisimova will next face fellow American Madison Keys in a high-powered third-round clash.
- Elsewhere, Alexandra Eala, Daria Snigur, Elena Rybakina, and Marta Kostyuk all advanced in a busy day of women’s action.
Deciding Set Turnaround Seals Victory
When the pressure peaked, Anisimova delivered her strongest serving spell, firing nine aces in the final set to dig herself out of a difficult position. The late surge proved decisive as she regained control and closed out the match, erasing another difficult memory from last year’s final defeat to Iga Swiatek.
After the win, Anisimova expressed relief and humour at her unexpected serving performance. “I’m just happy to be through to the next round,” she said. “I never thought I’d say this but thank you to my serve. I’m not a good server at all but after today, I can say that I am.”
She added that staying present and embracing the Wimbledon stage helped her recover from setbacks during the match, describing these kinds of battles as exactly what she trains for.
All-American Clash Next for Anisimova
Anisimova now moves on to face Madison Keys in the third round, setting up an all-American showdown between two powerful hitters. Keys, also a former Australian Open champion, won her first Grand Slam title in Melbourne last year, adding extra weight to the matchup.
Pressure of Momentum Tested Across the Draw
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, players continued to deal with the challenge of backing up big victories in the next round. Daria Snigur followed her upset win over Elina Svitolina with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Leolia Jeanjean, while Maya Joint was unable to carry momentum from her earlier shock win and fell 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 to Alexandra Eala.
Snigur dedicated her win to Ukraine amid difficult circumstances at home, describing the emotional weight behind her performance.
Eala Impresses Ahead of Swiatek Test
Alexandra Eala continued her strong run and will now take on Iga Swiatek in the third round, carrying growing support from Filipino fans. She acknowledged the challenge ahead but expressed confidence in her ability to compete, noting Swiatek’s success across all surfaces while preparing for a tough test.
Rybakina and Kostyuk Advance, Shnaider Falls
Marta Kostyuk battled through a tough three-set win over Anna Blinkova, while Diana Shnaider suffered a surprise exit at the hands of Liudmila Samsonova. Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina also progressed comfortably, defeating Caty McNally 6-1, 6-2 to continue her strong form at the tournament.
