LONDON, July 2 (Reuters) – A showdown between two American 20-somethings born to Russian immigrants turned into an almighty scrap at Wimbledon as Amanda Anisimova displayed her powers of resilience to tame Sofia Kenin 6-2 4-6 7-6(10-3) in the second round on Thursday.
A year after becoming the first player in more than a century to lose a Wimbledon final 6-0 6-0, the sixth seed looked like she was heading for another heartbreaking defeat at the hands of an opponent she had been expected to beat.
With Kenin now ranked 105th in the world and a shadow of the player who triumphed at the Australian Open in 2020, Anisimova resembled a tortured soul as she surrendered her serve en route to falling 3-1 behind in the deciding set.
Yelling out her frustrations, however, allowed her to get her A-game back on track and after levelling for 3-3, she was once again laser focused and stormed through the tiebreak to seal victory when Kenin netted a service return.
“Some moments were really awful and I’m really glad to be in the third round. Sofia is such a tough opponent and she’s such a fighter,” Anisimova said courtside.
She will next run into another fellow American, 26th seed Madison Keys, for a place in the fourth round.
(Reporting by Pritha Sarkar, editing by Clare Fallon)
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