Amanda Anisimova showed little sign of last year's ghosts on Tuesday, dismantling Lina Gjorcheska 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round. The American's dominant performance marked a sharp departure from twelve months earlier, when she reached her first Grand Slam final only to be obliterated 6-0, 6-0 by Iga Swiatek.
That loss stood as one of sport's cruelest moments. Yet Anisimova's comeback proved swift and thorough. She defeated Swiatek en route to the US Open final, where she fell to Aryna Sabalenka in a competitive two-set match. Tuesday's convincing victory suggested those painful memories are finally beginning to fade.
Playing on Court No 2 rather than Centre Court, Anisimova said she felt energized from the start. "It was a year ago, so it's not like I started playing this match thinking about the final or anything last year," she told reporters. "I stepped out and I was really excited to play, feeling really good."
She attributed her refreshed state partly to a brief respite following a grueling stretch. A wrist injury had forced her to miss Madrid and Rome earlier in the season, sapping her energy as she worked to return to competition. "The last two months really took a lot out of me," Anisimova said. "I was also working hard and doing my best and I think I just got a bit tired at the end of that."
Anisimova eyed bigger stages ahead. "Hopefully I will be playing on Centre Court again this week, because I feel like I thrive and play my best tennis on the bigger courts," she said.
Rybakina survives rough patch, Keys stages comeback
Elena Rybakina, the 2022 champion, scraped through against France's Loïs Boisson despite a disastrous second set. Rybakina prevailed 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, but acknowledged room for improvement. "She was playing quite high, I would say, for grass court," Rybakina said of her opponent's strategy. "For me, it was difficult to actually adjust to these higher balls."
Madison Keys, who captured her first Grand Slam title in Australia, also needed to dig deep. She recovered from a set down to defeat Australia's Taylor Day 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3.
Jasmine Paolini, runner-up two years ago, bounced back from a bagel in the opening set to beat American Robin Montgomery. Paolini called it her best performance of the year.
The day's biggest shock belonged to the men's draw, where eighth-seeded Elina Svitolina fell to fellow Ukrainian Dara Snigur, ranked 77th in the world. Svitolina's 7-5, 6-2 defeat marked an unexpected early exit for the seeded player.
Author James Rodriguez: "Anisimova's composed performance suggests she's finally moved past last year's disaster, and that bodes well for a serious run this fortnight."
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