Tennis – Australian Open – Third Round – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, January 18, 2019. Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. waves to spectators after winning the match against Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Young American Amanda Anisimova upstaged 11th seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 6-2, hitting her way into the fourth round of the Australian Open on Friday.
The fearless 17-year-old bullied her much higher ranked opponent who looked shell-shocked by the power being generated at the other end of the court.
It was Anisimova’s third consecutive straight sets win, which included a 6-0 6-2 destruction of 24th seed Lesia Tsurenko, signaling the arrival of a genuine new talent in the women’s game.
Anisimova, the youngest competitor in the draw, will play the winner of Petra Kvitova and Belinda Bencic in the fourth round.
Reporting by Jonathan Barrett in MELBOURNE