Potapova ousts defending finalist Anisimova at US Open
Anastasia Potapova defeated last year's runner-up Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-5 in the third round, a result that costs Anisimova 1,170 ranking points and her
Anastasia Potapova has eliminated last year's US Open finalist Amanda Anisimova in the third round. The 24th-seeded Russian won 6-2, 7-5 on Saturday evening, a defeat that costs Anisimova 1,170 ranking points and her place in the WTA top 10.
Potapova advances to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time. This marks the third Grand Slam fourth-round appearance of her career and her tenth career win over a top-10 opponent, three of which have come this season. Two of those three 2026 top-10 victories have been against Americans at majors, following her win over Coco Gauff at Roland-Garros.
Her ranking had dipped to nearly outside the top 100 in April. A resurgent run including a final in Linz, a semi-final in Madrid, and second-week appearances in Rome, Paris, and now New York has propelled her back to world No. 24 in the live rankings.
Potapova's fearless approach
On court after her win, Potapova was asked if the fearlessness in her game translates to her life off the court. "Yes, I'm a little bit crazy, but in a good way," Potapova said. She added, "I'm probably not scared of anything. I'm always looking for adrenaline in my life. I'm super excited for the next one."
Anisimova's ranking slide
Amanda Anisimova arrived at the US Open as the No. 10 seed, having been the 2025 runner-up. She also reached the Wimbledon final in 2025 and hit a career-high ranking of world No. 3 in January. Her 2026 season had failed to produce similar results, with a semi-final in Dubai as her best finish. Sixteen of her 21 tour-level wins this year came on hard courts.
The tournament had begun positively for the American. She defeated compatriot Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 6-3 on her birthday, then survived a challenge from 18-year-old Austrian Lilli Tagger, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. That victory secured her first career season with third-round appearances at all four Grand Slams. Anisimova said afterwards she had stopped viewing the event as a points defense. "I don't really necessarily look at it as defending," she told Tennismajors.com. "I just look at it as a new tournament and another opportunity."
Other third-round results
Potapova, who earlier beat French wild card Leolia Jeanjean and Latvian lucky loser Darja Semenistaja, has never reached a Grand Slam quarter-final. She will next face the winner of the match between fifth seed Mirra Andreeva and Czech player Nikola Bartunkova. Other women's singles results from the third round included:
| Winner | Loser | Score |
|---|---|---|
| A. Sabalenka [1] | K. Rakhimova | 6-3, 6-4 |
| T. Townsend | D. Shnaider [15] | 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-3 |
| M. Kostyuk [11] | E. Alexandrova [18] | 6-3, 6-2 |
| L. Noskova [6] | A. Li [29] | 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-2 |
| J. Pegula [3] | L. Fernandez [31] | 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 |
| S. Cirstea [16] | J. Paolini [19] | 6-3, 6-3 |
| A. Kalinskaya [21] | E. Svitolina [9] | 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 |
| E. Navarro [26] | K. Muchova [7] | 6-3, 7-5 |
Matches involving Mirra Andreeva, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Elena Rybakina were among those not yet played at the time of the report.
