Amanda Anisimova continued to show her mettle as she kick-started the WTA Miami Open with an easy win over Andrea Petkovic in her opening round match.
Just 17 years of age, Anisimova has already announced herself with her sterling performances this year that included a fourth round showing at the Australian Open. And after a second round defeat to Elise Mertens, she will hope she can get back to her winning ways, trying to push through to latter stages of the tournament.
And for motivation would be her peer Bianca Andreescu performance at the Indian Wells Open where the youngster, on a wild-card, demolished her opponents on her way to winning the title.
Anisimova defeated Petkovic 6-4, 6-3 in less than 90 minutes to march into the second round.
The American teenager had her first break-point as earlier as in the third game before finally achieving her only break of the set in the seventh.
And barely had Petkovic started to get used to her opponent’s pace that she was broken yet again, as early as in the first game. Despite getting three chances to break back, Petkovic failed to do so and was broken for the second time in the set to fall 4-1 behind.
There was a break back in the seventh game and she held on to stretch Anisimova to serve it out in the ninth game of the set. It took her four match points but she did it in the end to make it to the second round where she will take on No.21 seed Anett Kontaveit.
In some of the other WTA Miami Open matches in the day, Marketa Vondrousova was a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Barbora Strycova, while Yulia Putintseva defeated Kirsten Flipkens in three sets.
Another teenager, 18-year-old Dayana Yastremska crushed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-2 to enter the second round where she will take on 12th seeded Ash Barty.
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