Tennis News: Amanda Anisimova wins against Karolina Pliskova in San Jose
Amanda Anisimova sets up a victory against Karolina Pliskova in San Jose, while Coco Gauff will face Naomi Osaka in the next round. The American registered her first win over Pliskova on Wednesday at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic
Amanda Anisimova wins against Karolina PliskovaAnisimova was one set down when she conceded a crucial second set game to her opponent. She then turned the match around to secure a 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory and entered the quarterfinals.
Anisimova was trailing 6-3, 3-2, but broke Pliskova's serve to love at that moment and won 10 of the next 11 games. Anisimova had suffered a 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(7) defeat in the second round of last year's US Open, where she had a match point.
Anisimova remarked that her 31st win of 2022 proved how much she's improved in a year. She is one of the four players on the Hologic WTA Tour credited with 30 or more wins this year besides Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur and Simona Halep.
Anisimova's takeaway from the nail-biting win is that she has progressed a lot. She was nervous in the first two sets, a product of long-drawn anxiety, but she managed to find footing.
Anisimova reached the quarterfinals in San Jose for a second time after her first time in 2019.
Coco Gauff to meet Naomi Osaka in the second round
Sixth seed American Coco Gauff was a surprise on Tuesday night at the San Jose Open, where she thrashed Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets.
The 18-year-old American, who competed in her first Grand Slam final at the French Open in June, took only 54 minutes to defeat Kalinina 6-1, 6-0 in her first match since she got eliminated in the third round at Wimbledon.
Gauff hit seven aces, but five doubles faults besides fending off the only break point against her serve. She broke her opponent's serve five times and revealed how it was one of the best matches she had played.
She is now placed against four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, who defeated China's Qinwen Zheng 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 on Tuesday. Their head-to-head record is led by Osaka 2-1, but now Gauff is higher ranked than her.
The American is world number 11, while Osaka is now ranked 41st. Gauff will have an excellent chance to crack the top 10 if she registers a win.
The pair competed at the 2019 US Open and the 2020 Australian Open, which mark the first two times they ever faced each other. Although the former world number one impressed in New York, Gauff seized a win in Melbourne.