Amanda Anisimova kept her Wimbledon hopes alive by edging past compatriot Sofia Kenin in a gripping three-set battle. The second-round clash was decided by a 10-point tiebreak in the deciding set, with spectators on the edge of their seats as the tension between the two Americans reached its peak.
After the match, Anisimova spoke candidly about her performance and the mental obstacle she overcame in the deciding set.
Amanda Anisimova Advances to Wimbledon Third Round With Victory Against Sofia Kenin
Last year’s runner-up, Anisimova, has returned to SW19 with redemption on her mind. Following a one-sided 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Iga Świątek in the final, the American is aiming to leave that disappointment behind and do one better this year.
Anisimova opened her campaign with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over Lina Gjorcheska on Tuesday before facing a much tougher test against 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin on Thursday. She cruised through the opening set 6-2, but Kenin responded by clinching the second set 6-4 to force a decider.
Kenin was just one point away from taking a 4-1 lead in the third set before Anisimova turned the tide and eventually broke back to level the score. “Some moments were really awful. I’m just so happy to be through to the next round,” she said in her on-court interview.
The 2025 finalist held her serve the rest of the way and raised her level in the deciding match tiebreak, closing out a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(3) win. During the match she dished out an impressive 20 aces against Kenin’s zero. She also won 72% of her first serve points.
“I never thought that I’d be saying this, but thank you to my serve today. I mean, I’m not an amazing server, but now I can finally say I can serve pretty good. So yeah, I’m just really happy with my performance there in the end, especially against Sofia. She’s such a tough opponent, and that obviously showed today, and she’s such a fighter,” Anisimova said.
During a tense moment in the third set, the 24-year-old appeared to tell her coach, Sebastian Sachs, that she was unable to think clearly, believing it had contributed to her losing the second set.
“I was down 3-1, and I told myself to just keep fighting, and these might be your last moments at Wimbledon, so it’s pretty sad. Just try and maybe have fun and enjoy it. I really try to bring myself back to the present moment, especially when I’m stressed. And I try to remind myself, just have fun; you’re playing at Wimbledon,” she said after the match.
“I do get hard on myself sometimes, but at the same time, I do try to have fun and just play my tennis. These are the types of matches that I train so hard for because they’re the fun ones. They’re the thrillers,” she continued.
Amanda Anisimova has endured a challenging few months after being sidelined by a wrist injury. She returned to competition at the French Open, where her comeback ended in a heartbreaking third-round defeat to Diane Parry in a deciding-set match tiebreak. Having learned from that disappointment, the American’s aim was to cross the finish line against Kenin on Thursday.
“I was starting to get a bit of flashback from the French Open losing in the decider and the tiebreak. So, I was like, come on, let’s try and turn that page and do better this time. I feel I learned my lesson,” she said. “I kept reminding myself, ‘Just keep fighting and just do your best.’”
The sixth seed now faces another stern test in the third round against 26th seed Madison Keys. The 2025 Australian Open champion arrives at SW19 in strong form, having lifted the Eastbourne Open title in the lead-up to Wimbledon.
