By Chris Oddo | Friday January 18, 2019
History was made on Margaret Court Arena on Friday as 17-year-old American Amanda Anisimova became the first player born in the 2000s to reach the second week of a major with a stunning 6-3, 6-2 triumph over No.11-seeded Aryna Sabalenka.
The American, a former junior No.2 and U.S. Open Girls Singles champion in 2017, had never won a main draw match at a major prior to this week in Australia.
Heck, she had never even played a match in Australia, but apparently the scenery suits her as she has played to perfection through three rounds and today she was far superior to a player that many had tabbed for the trophy at this year’s event.
Sabalenka, 20, was the heavy favorite in this tilt but never did manage to get a foothold in the match as a steady stream of winners from Anisimova’s singing strings kept sailing past her.
Known for power and aggression, Sabalenka was trumped in that department by the effortless and menacing ground game of the American. Anisimova, who displayed uncanny easy power and precocious feel for the court's geometry, struck 21 winners against just 9 unforced errors and she managed to rattle Sabalenka’s cage early and often in this contest, whether it be with precision and pace on the return, stunning backhands to the corners to end rallies, or shrewd, efficient serving.
There wasn’t anything that the lanky Anisimova didn’t do well, and Sabalenka, reluctant to sway from her guns-blazing tactics, was simply too impatient over the course of the 65-minute affair. She attempted to force her shots as if she were in a race to beat Anisimova to the punch, and all too frequently, she missed.
Sabalenka hit 12 winners against 13 unforced errors and only earned one break point.
The Belarusian was broken twice in the first set, in the opening game and again in the final game.
Her frustration only grew when she fell behind 3-0 in the opening set, failing to capitalize on her only break point of the match with Anisimova serving at 2-0, 30-40.
The American, who announced herself to the tennis world last season at Indian Wells when she knocked off Petra Kvitova to become the first 16-year-old to reach the round of 16 since 2005, pulled off one of the shots of the tournament in the fourth game of the second set when she ran tramline to tramline and sailed a serene squash shot that seemed to have eyes of its own past Sabalenka for a winner.
It was proof that the youngster can improvise as well as strategize.
Sabalenka fought hard to hold twice and stay within a break at 2-4 but Anisimova never wavered down the stretch and sealed her momentous victory with a break when Sabalenka missed one final forehand.
Anisimova is now the youngest American woman into the round of 16 at a major since Serena Williams in 1998 and the youngest American to reach the round of 16 at the Aussie Open since Jennifer Capriati in 1993.
She will face either Kvitova or Belinda Bencic in the round of 16.