How tennis fans are now expected to treat Amanda Anisimova after her revenge win over Iga Swiatek

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Amanda Anisimova suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the Wimbledon final two months ago, but got her revenge in New York.

The 24-year-old’s dream run at Wimbledon quickly turned into a nightmare as Anisimova lost 0-6, 0-6, to Iga Swiatek in the final.

Some questioned whether Anisimova would be able to recover from such a devastating loss, a question she has answered emphatically at Flushing Meadows.

In straight sets, Anisimova defeated Swiatek in the US Open quarterfinals, getting her revenge on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Reacting to the number-eight seed’s big win, former British star Annabel Croft suggested how fans may start to treat Anisimova now.

Annabel Croft thinks tennis fans might start to treat Amanda Anisimova with more respect after revenge win

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after the match, Croft shared her thoughts on how fans will treat Anisimova after her latest win.

“Actually, people will start to talk more about this, rather than focusing on her 0-6, 0-6 defeat at Wimbledon,” she said.

“I think people will say she lost 0-6, 0-6, and look how well she responded and bounced back.”

Croft was mightily impressed by Anisimova’s ability to recover from one of the worst defeats of her career in such a short space of time.

“I’d love to know what she actually did do, but she said she worked very hard to come back from that,” she said.

“I think there has been a lot of mental work to try to not be embarrassed, not be humiliated by what happened. 

“Just sort of think about it, reflect on it, and then move on and try to bounce back and retaliate.”

Reflecting on the match itself, the former British star describes Anisimova’s performance as ‘phenomenal’.

“Absolutely breathtaking, I have goosebumps all over me after watching that. Seeing the standing ovation, I think so many people here are admiring of what she’s just done out there,” said Croft.

“I can honestly say I don’t think [Iga] Swiatek played badly; she did everything she could, she was just absolutely outplayed by an inspired opponent.

“The way she returned, the backhand that did so much damage, she was brave, she went after her serves, everything came together at the right time.

“I did not see this coming, but I think it was an absolutely phenomenal performance.”

Anisimova converted her match point with a little help from the net, as Croft now gives her verdict on the American’s luck with net cords.

“It was like the gods were with her; to have those two let cords that went her way was extraordinary,” she said.

“It was getting very edgy, and I wasn’t even sure she [Anisimova] was going to be able to get that next point, you could sense her nerves, and understandably so, it’s such a big moment for her, but to have the two let cords in such a short space of time, very, very unlucky for Swiatek, nothing she could have done.

“But she really was beaten by the better player. I really felt like she earned it. She worked so hard for some of those exchanges, high-quality ball striking from both of them, using the full distance of the court, the full angles, but it wasn’t like Swiatek broke down and missed a lot; she earned it and won the points.”

Croft wasn’t the only one impressed with Anisimova’s performance, as her fellow Brit Laura Robson also had plenty to say.

Laura Robson says Amanda Anisimova’s backhand was ‘outrageous’ in Iga Swiatek win

During post-match coverage for Sky Sports, Robson shared her thoughts on Anisimova’s recovery from Wimbledon to Flushing Meadows.

“To come back from the Wimbledon final and respond like that… You just felt it was such a difference, even from the second game of the match, when she got a game on the board, you thought she could play freely now, and she did,” said Robson.

“She had such a clear game plan, trying to dictate the points, not letting Swiatek play her own game, because we know how Swiatek can rush you from the baseline when she’s feeling her forehand, but Amanda just took control.”

Robson then identified the shot from Anisimova’s arsenal, which was ‘outrageous’ throughout the quarterfinal.

“Her backhand line was outrageous today, as it has been throughout the tournament,” she said.

“She found it in the last round against [Beatriz] Haddad Maia, but to do it on a day like today, US Open quarterfinal, against someone who you’ve just lost to 6-0, 6-0 a few weeks prior, is such a testament to how much she’s worked on her mentality, and all the work she’s doing off the court at the moment to be able to come out and perform like this.”

The world number nine will certainly hope her backhand holds up when she returns for her semifinal match.

Anisimova will play Naomi Osaka in the US Open semifinals on Thursday, September 4.