The third round at the Day 5 of the Australian Open resulted in unfortunate for the reigning champion Naomi Osaka as she got knocked out by 20-year-old Amanda Anisimova 4-6 6-3 7-6[5] to book her spot at the fourth round of the women’s singles.
Giant slayer ⚔️
🇺🇸 @AnisimovaAmanda knocks out defending champion Naomi Osaka 4-6 6-3 7-6[5] to advance to the fourth round of the #AO2022.#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/4FkZhER6hy
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2022
2019 French Open semifinalist advances at the next round in style as she couldn’t believe if it was real. “I can’t stop smiling even when I’m playing,” said Anisimova at the Australian Open interview after she eliminated Osaka from the tournament at the Margaret Court Arena on Friday. “Naomi is an absolute champion, so I had to be more aggressive,” she further added.
No, this is not a dream 👊@AnisimovaAmanda • #AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/x4vxkPIvmm
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2022
From being 4-5 down in the third set, Amanda managed to force a decider where she went 8-4 against Osaka which was too much for the Japanese to deal with.
According to tennis journalist Jose Morgado, after this loss against America’s Anisimova, Osaka is out of the top 80 WTA Ranking and is currently on 84th. The Japanese was sidelined following mental health concerns and didn’t appear in much of the events.
WTA Ranking after the #AusOpen
39. Andreescu
84. Osaka
94. Kenin
244. S. Williams
461. V. Williams— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 21, 2022
Amanda had outlasted 22nd seed Belinda Bencic in the second round before facing Osaka and she will next clash against World No. One Ash Barty who previously defeated Camila Giorgi at the Rod Laver Arena.
The American is looking forward to being playing the next round as she faces Barty next, who won’t easily let the title slip away from her hands.
