Jan 21, 2022 - Sports

Defending champion Naomi Osaka knocked out of Australian Open

Kendall Baker

Naomi Osaka in action during her third round match against Amanda Anisimova at the Australian Open. — Naomi Osaka during her third-round match against Amanda Anisimova at the Australian Open on Friday. Photo: Robert Prange/Getty Images

Unseeded American Amanda Anisimova upset defending champion Naomi Osaka, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10-5), in the third round of the Australian Open.

Driving the news: Anisimova, 20, saved two match points and had 46 (!) winners to Osaka's 21. She's now 8-0 in 2022.

"You will not see a higher quality of tennis than Anisimova just pulled off ... Just stunning. Naomi shouldn't feel too bad about that one," USA Today's Dan Wolken writes.

The backdrop: Anisimova was a semifinalist at the 2019 French Open at age 17, but her ascent was abruptly grounded when her father and longtime coach, Konstantin, died of a heart attack later that year.

The New Jersey native's breakthrough was partly overshadowed by other young talents like Coco Gauff and Bianca Andreescu.
But Amanda has been a "champion-in-training" for much of her young life, and her future looks as bright as anyone's right now.

What's next: Anisimova, ranked 60th in the world, faces world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty of Australia in the fourth round.

Zoom out ... There wasn't a single American in the quarterfinals of last year's U.S. Open. That could change in Melbourne, with four women and two men still alive.

Women: Anisimova is joined in the fourth round by Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula, whose parents own the Bills. Danielle Collins plays her third-round match tonight (7pm ET).
Men: Taylor Fritz (10:15pm) and Maxime Cressy (12am) play third-round matches tonight.

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Defending champion Naomi Osaka knocked out of Australian Open

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