Potapova stuns last year's finalist Anisimova at US Open
Russian-born Austrian player Anastasia Potapova beat American Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-5 in the US Open third round, eliminating last year's runner-up.
Amanda Anisimova's Grand Slam summer ended very differently in 2026 than it did last year, when she reached the US Open final before losing to Aryna Sabalenka. This time, Anisimova was eliminated already in the third round, falling 6-2, 7-5 to Anastasia Potapova, a Russian-born player who now represents Austria.
A second big American scalp
Potapova has been building a reputation for knocking out top American players at majors. In June, she beat Coco Gauff in the third round of the French Open. On Saturday, the match at Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York lasted about 90 minutes, with Potapova staying largely steady throughout — she served for the match in the second set, got broken back, but closed it out on her second opportunity.
"I think I'm the happiest person out here," Potapova said afterward.
A difficult season for Anisimova
Anisimova, who also reached the Wimbledon final last year and rose to No. 4 in the world, has struggled to build on that success in 2026 — she has now failed to reach the second week in her past three Grand Slam tournaments. In spring she changed coaches, parting ways with Dutch coach Hendrik Vleeshouwers, who guided her to the best season of her career in 2025. She then briefly worked with German coach Sebastian Sachs before reuniting with Vleeshouwers for the North American hard-court swing.
In her press conference, Anisimova said her game has been coming around, but she struggled with the windy conditions at Louis Armstrong Stadium on Saturday. She described her Grand Slam season as "pretty average," while noting she had played the French Open right after a six-week absence caused by a wrist injury. She confirmed Vleeshouwers is again working with her full-time: "Oh, yeah, of course, I'm gonna continue working with him, and today's match doesn't change our partnership."
How the match unfolded
Potapova dominated the first set, while in the second Anisimova repeatedly fought back with aggressive play and strong backhands down the line, only to hand games back with errors on her own serve. She finished with 18 errors on her forehand — her weaker side — and won only half of her first-serve points.
In the fourth round, Potapova will face French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, who beat Czech player Nikola Bartůňková 6-2, 7-6(5).
