A highly emotional Amanda Anisimova got the better of her southpaw opponent Coco Gauff during singles on Centre Court on Saturday. The two Americans battled in a high-quality matchup; Anisimova won, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-1.
Anisimova, who had never played on the center court at Wimbledon, said after her win: “It’s just a huge privilege to play on this court playing Coco. Winning is so special, especially in front of a full crowd — you guys were amazing.” Gauff, who had won the first set 6-3, led 2-1 in the second before Anisimova settled into the match — it was the first time she had played a match on the main court at Wimbledon. By the end of the set, both players were separated by a tiebreak which Gauff managed to win before momentum swung back in favor of Anisimova.
Gauff’s first serve began to allow her down in the second set and it gave her opponent all of the chance she needed to force a decisive set. Monfils, ranked 25th in the world, didn’t take his off for a while and kept dominating the baseline while reducing the number of unforced errors.
Anisimova, who is just 20 years old and ranked number 68 in the world, was able to serve out the match with ease. She will play Harmony Tan on Monday. “There are so many American players doing well and I’m proud of my country and how we have been doing,” Anisimova added. “It was really exciting to have an all-American clash on this court so it was really special.”