- American faces No 2 seed Sabalenka after 7-5, 6-4 victory
- Anisimova took eight-month break for mental wellbeing
Amanda Anisimova stood on the verge of claiming the opening set of her tight, intense battle with Paula Badosa on John Cain Arena when, suddenly, she was struggling. Deep in a lengthy, extended game while serving at 6-5, Anisimova began to wince and clutch at her cramping stomach between every point, just desperately trying to hold on.
It came as no surprise that the intensity of grand slam tennis was difficult for her to endure. This week, after all, marks just Anisimova’s second tournament back from an eight-month absence after stepping away from professional tennis to address her burnout and flagging mental health. On her return to grand slam tennis, Anisimova has hit the ground running and on Friday she outclassed Badosa 7-5, 6-4 to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open.