Category: Amanda Anisimova

On Day 2 of the UTR Pro Match Series held on a private tennis court in West Palm Beach, Alison Riske made herself the most successful player at the tournament so far, Amanda Anisimova chalked up her first win of the weekend, while the match between Danielle Collins and Ajla Tomljanovic was cut short by Florida thunderstorms.

Even without the cheers of the crowds, the competition was fierce at this first professional women’s tennis event broadcast internationally since the global coronavirus shutdown. World No.19 Alison Riske (UTR 13.19) moved to 2-1 in round-robin play with a 4-1 1-4 4-1 victory over fellow American Danielle Collins (UTR 13.07), followed by 2019 French Open semifinalist Amanda Anisimova’s (UTR 13.04) comeback win over Ajla Tomljanovic (UTR 12.85).

The 29-year-old Riske secured her spot in Sunday’s championship, while the second finalist will be determined when the rain-affected encounter between Tomljanovic and Collins completes. When the match was suspended, Tomljanovic and Collins had each won a set by virtue of a tiebreaker. They will resume play before the finals and 3rd/4th rounds on Sunday.

The UTR Pro Match Series Women’s Event broadcast continues live on Tennis Channel beginning one hour early at 11 AM ET Sunday, May 24th for Collins and Tomljanovic to play the third set of their match. This will be followed by the 3rd/4th playoff where Anisimova will face the loser of Collins/Tomljanovic, followed by the finals where Riske will face the winner of the earlier match. The format of the 3rd/4th playoff will be a 2 out of 3 Fast 4 sets; the format of the finals will be 2 full sets plus a tiebreak.

DAY 2 STANDINGS

Alison Riske 2-1 (d. Collins)
Danielle Collins 1-1
Ajla Tomljanovic 1-1
Amanda Anisimova 1-2 (d. Tomljanovic)

Every UTR Pro Match Series event follows enhanced safety precautions, implementing strict screening, cleaning and social distancing measures for players, officials and staff. There are no spectators, no handshakes and no ballkids. The court and facility are professionally disinfected before and after play. Each player provides their own set of marked balls for use during the match. Players provide their own drinks and towels, and each have their own separate tented area off the court.

The results of this tournament count globally via the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR). Anyone in the world can create a match, play, and post their score. To kick off the new platform, anyone who registers for UTR MatchPlay now through June 5th will be eligible to win a free one-week trip to train at the world-renowned IMG Academy for themselves and their UTR MatchPlay opponent.

Alison Riske, Amanda Anisimova, Danielle Collins and Ajla Tomljanovic competed on a private court in the West Palm Beach, FL area on Friday and kicked off the UTR Pro Match Series, the first live women’s tennis tournament to be broadcast internationally since the coronavirus pandemic cancelled all regularly scheduled WTA events.

Even in the stripped-down environment with no ballkids, no spectators, no handshakes, and no line judges, with only one chair umpire overseeing the match, the level of competition was high.

Playing the fast-paced 3 Fast 4 set format, American world No.51 Danielle Collins (UTR 13.07) beat 28th-ranked compatriot Amanda Anisimova (UTR 13.04) 4-1 4-2, while in another battle of Top 60 players, Australian Ajla Tomljanovic (UTR 12.85) dispatched world No.19 Alison Riske (UTR 13.19) 4-3(4) 4-1. To wrap up Day 1 action, Riske recovered and defeated the 18-year-old Anisimova in a nail-biter by saving two match points to earn a 0-4 4-0 4-3(6) victory.

The UTR Pro Match Series results count globally via the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR).

PLAYER LINEUP

Alison Riske – 4th-ranked American, WTA #19, UTR 13.19 (#14)
Amanda Anisimova – 5th-ranked American, WTA #28, UTR 13.04 (#33)
Danielle Collins – 8th-ranked American, WTA #51, UTR 13.07 (#28)
Ajla Tomljanovic – 2nd-ranked Australian, WTA #56, UTR 12.85 (#68)

DAY 1 STANDINGS

Danielle Collins 1-0 (d. Anisimova)
Ajla Tomljanovic 1-0 (d. Riske)
Alison Riske 1-1 (d. Anisimova)
Amanda Anisimova 0-2

The UTR Pro Match Series Women’s Event broadcast continues live on Tennis Channel beginning at 12 noon ET Saturday May 23rd and Sunday May 24th for the finals and 3rd/4th place playoff.

SCHEDULE OF PLAY – SATURDAY, MAY 20th 12:00 PM ET

Alison Riske vs. Danielle Collins
Followed by Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Amanda Anisimova
Followed by Danielle Collins vs. Ajla Tomljanovic

After almost two months without live tennis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sport is making baby steps in getting things back to normal. Universal Tennis today announced the UTR Pro Match Series presented by Tennis Channel featuring high-profile ATP and WTA players in the first top-tier professional tennis events televised internationally since the global health crisis put a halt to tennis in March.

The first event of the series will be held from May 8th to May 10th, featuring four ATP players — Matteo Berrettini, Reilly Opelka, Tennys Sandgren, and Tommy Paul — in a round-robin event beginning at 12:00 ET each day.

Three American WTA players — Alison Riske, Amanda Anisimova and Danielle Collins — will be joined by Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in a four-player ladies’ event from May 22nd to May 24th. 

The venue will be a private court in the West Palm Beach, FL, area. To ensure maximum safety, there will be no spectators, no handshaking, no ballkids and no line judges, only the chair umpire will oversee the match, while each player will have their own set of marked balls. Before and after play, the court and facility will be professionally disinfected.

UTR Pro Match Series events are prize money competitions, not exhibitions. All matches will be broadcast live on Tennis Channel and count toward a player’s UTR rating.