Last year’s runner-up Amanda Anisimova’s shock straight-set defeat to Anastasia Potapova at the US Open sparked fans’ fury. The home favourite produced a sluggish performance as Potapova seized the opportunity to send the American packing in the third round.
The American lost control in the third game of the first set after the World No. 25 broke her serve with ease. She did it again in the seventh game to claim a 6-2 win in the first set. Anisimova wasn’t willing to go down without a fight as both players exchanged breaks three times in the second set.
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But Potapova stood tall when stakes were high to notch a 6-2, 7-5 upset win in one hour, 39 minutes and confirm Anisimova’s departure from the Top 10. The 10th seed looked off colour from the outset and uncharacteristically produced a whopping 46 unforced errors in two sets, which led to her downfall.
Fans were furious with Amanda Anisimova‘s display at the Louis Armstrong Stadium. Fans kept pushing the local star, but the 25-year-old had no answer to Potapova, who stood on the verge of falling out of the Top 100 in April this season.
Fans vented their frustration on social media; some judged her on-court behaviour while others felt her game had deteriorated since she reunited with her former coach Hendrik Vleeshouwers in July.
“Terrible game from Amanda,” a user wrote on X.
“46 UE’s in just 2 sets is way too much. Shocking performance from Amanda,” a user remarked.
“Embarrassing loss from Anisimova :(” a user noted.
“Anisimova has been awful since reuniting with her old coach,” a user stated.
“46 unforced errors totals the equivalent of giving away 11.5 games. Anisimova is too talented not to be a top 4 player. Seems to be her only strategy is to try to blow people off the court. She needs to be able to mix it up more,” a user pointed out.
“Shocking from Amanda today. Hope she comes back stronger next time out,” another user added.
Amanda Anisimova’s on-court struggles continue in 2026
Amanda Anisimova has endured a rough patch throughout 2026, marred by premature exits at major tournaments. She kicked off the year with a quarterfinal defeat against fellow American Jessica Pegula at the Australian Open.
She perished against Pegula in semifinals at Dubai and quarterfinals in Cincinnati. At Indian Wells, she fell short against Victoria Mboko. Her torrid run continued as she lost to Belinda Bencic in Miami. She also missed a significant portion of the clay season due to a left wrist injury, which forced her to withdraw from Charleston, Madrid and Rome.
She then landed in the French capital to find her mojo but left Roland Garros after a third-round defeat against Diane Parry. At Wimbledon, Madison Keys derailed Amanda Anisimova’s momentum in the third round, summing up her struggles this year.
Edited by Pritha Ghosh
