After upsetting Naomi Osaka in their only previous meeting at the Australian Open in January, American Amanda Anisimova repeated the feat with a 7-5 6-4 victory over the Japanese in the first round of Roland Garros.
Unseeded this fortnight, Osaka recovered from a break down twice to level the first set at 3-3, but the third time Anisimova kept the lead as she won three games in a row from 4-5.
The second set went with serve until 3-3, when Osaka made two double faults in her service game and helped the 27th-seeded Anisimova go a break up. The American consolidated the lead and soon after finished the job on her third match point.
Anisimova made the semifinals of Roland Garros in 2019 and finished runner-up in girls’ singles in 2016. On the other hand, the four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka has never been past the third round in Paris.
