Amanda Anisimova began her Wimbledon redemption campaign with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory over Lina Gjorcheska of North Macedonia in the first round on Tuesday, while eighth seed Elina Svitolina suffered a surprise 5-7, 2-6 defeat to fellow Ukrainian Daria Snigur.
Anisimova Looks to Banish Final Memories
Twelve months ago, Anisimova beat Aryna Sabalenka to reach her first Grand Slam final, only to be humbled 6-0, 6-0 by Iga Swiatek. The loss could have lingered, but she bounced back immediately, beating Swiatek en route to the US Open final, where Sabalenka defeated her in a tight two-setter.
Playing on Court No 2 rather than Centre Court, Anisimova enjoyed the experience. "It was a year ago, so it's not like I started playing this match thinking about the final or anything last year," she said. "I stepped out and I was really excited to play, feeling really good. So I just wanted to see where my level is at and challenge myself out there."
Anisimova Feels Refreshed After Break
Anisimova said she felt refreshed after a short break, having been exhausted by the previous months when she returned to the Tour following a wrist injury that forced her to miss the Madrid and Rome clay-court events. "Feeling like I'm in a much better place now," she said. "I think the last two months really took a lot out of me, and just the start of the year, it wasn't the best way to start things out."
Rybakina and Keys Battle Through
Champions find a way through even when not playing well. Elena Rybakina survived a horrific second set to beat France's Loïs Boisson 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. "She was playing quite high for grass court," the 2022 champion said. "For me, it was difficult to adjust to these higher balls. In the end, I'm happy that I managed to win it."
Madison Keys, who won her first Grand Slam title in Australia last year, came back from a set down to beat America's Kayla Day 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3. Jasmine Paolini, runner-up two years ago, called it her best match of the year after recovering from a first-set bagel to beat Robin Montgomery.
Svitolina and Vekic Suffer Shocks
Svitolina, the world No 77, appeared out of sorts as she fell to Daria Snigur. Donna Vekic, winner at Queen's, was also beaten 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 by American Ashlyn Krueger. Anisimova, meanwhile, hopes to return to Centre Court. "Court No 2 isn't such a small court. I mean, still, it's a big stadium. But 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.
