Anisimova storms into Australian Open last 16
Amanda Anisimova continued her strong Australian Open campaign on Saturday, cruising into the last 16 with a convincing 6-1, 6-4 victory over fellow American Peyton Stearns.
The fourth seed overcame a Melbourne Park heatwave to secure the win in just 71 minutes, dominating play under intense sunshine. The 24-year-old looked in complete control for much of the match, particularly in a one-sided opening set at Margaret Court Arena, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Anisimova will next face either 13th seed Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic or China’s Wang Xinyu for a place in the quarter-finals.
The world number four is building on a breakthrough 2025 season in which she reached the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, and she is now targeting an even deeper run in 2026.
“Super-hot today,” Anisimova said during her on-court interview, which she delivered while wrapped in an ice towel.
“I had a lot of fun today playing in front of you guys, especially a lot of American supporters.”
After racing through the first set, Anisimova faced more resistance in the second as Stearns, ranked 68th in the world, capitalized on some shaky service games. Stearns briefly threatened a comeback by winning three consecutive games after trailing 5-1, with Anisimova committing her seventh double fault during that stretch.
The surge, however, only delayed the outcome. Anisimova regained control to close out the match and remain unbeaten in straight sets at the tournament.
“We were just battling it out there at the end,” Anisimova said.
Earlier in the competition, she defeated Switzerland’s Simona Waltert 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round before dispatching Katerina Siniakova 6-1, 6-4 in round two.
By Nijat Babayev
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