Eighth seed Amanda Anisimova booked her place in the US Open second round with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-2 victory over Australia’s Kimberley Birrell.
The world No.83 Birrell put up a decent battle, but she gave away too many cheap points through double faults, and allowed this year’s Wimbledon finalist far too many second serves to unleash her power on.
Overall, Anisimova will know she needs to cut down on her own mistakes, but she will be delighted to come through the first round in straight sets, showing greater focus to rein in her unforced error numbers during the second set.
Speaking on court after the match, Anismova touched on the challenge of the match and how happy she is with progressing to the second round.
“I feel like she was playing great throughout the match and it’s not easy playing in the first round of a Grand Slam. It was a tough fight and I never played her before so I knew it was going to be really tough and tricky.”
“I was nervous but I was trying to have a little bit of fun out there and I’m just super excited to be back.”
When asked about her season, which has included winning in Doha, losing in the Wimbledon final, and becoming a top-eight seed at a Slam for the first time, the American was quick to highlight the positives.
“It’s been a really special year and I think just enjoying the journey…. I try to have fun every single day. It doesn’t matter if I’m on the practice court, which, that’s where I am most of the time. These are the moments I really train for and I’m just super happy to be back here.”
“I mean, I lost in the first round last year so I’m just happy to be doing better than then and just trying to enjoy every second out there, and I’m really looking forward to playing in front of you guys again.
The first set began with Anisimova seemingly using the opening games as a litmus test on the range of her shots. She cruised through her first service game then carved out three break points on Birrell’s serve, but some errant hitting prevented her from taking advantage.
Midway through the set, her groundstrokes – especially her forehand – clicked into place. She earned another trio of break points and converted on the first opportunity. Yet just as quickly, her forehand deserted her, and it allowed the battling Birrell to break straight back.
Anisimova, as has so often been the case recently, regrouped mentally and broke to love once more. When it came time to serve out the set, she made no mistake, sealing it in 40 minutes with a pearl of an ace.
The second set was evenly contested until the fifth game, when Anisimova pounced on Birrell’s poor serving to grab the break. From there, the American relaxed and let her racket become her wand, running to victory in just under 70 minutes and sealing the win with a gorgeous backhand down the line.
At the end of her on-court interview, she responded to being highlighted as a role model for mental health, having openly discussed taking a break from the sport for her mental wellbeing in May 2023, returning in January 2024.
“Initially it was scary and I wasn’t sure how people would react so to see my comeback and how I’ve bounced back from that, and just hearing people tell me that I inspire them with my journey and what I’ve done is the most special thing ever to hear. If someone can relate to me, even if it’s one person, then that makes me super happy.”
Anisimova will look to get past another Australian, world No.45 Maya Joint, in her second-round match on Thursday.
