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Amanda Anisimova out of U.S. Open after error-strewn loss to Anastasia Potapova
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- Amanda Anisimova out of U.S. Open after error-strewn loss to Anastasia Potapova
NEW YORK — Amanda Anisimova's Grand Slam summer of 2026 ended far differently than it did last year, when she lost in the U.S. Open final to Aryna Sabalenka.
On Saturday, Anisimova fell to Anastasia Potapova in the third round of this year's tournament. Potapova, a native Russian who now represents Austria, is developing a reputation for knocking top Americans out of Grand Slams.
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In June, she defeated Coco Gauff in the third round of the French Open. On Saturday, she stayed mostly steady through 90 minutes in Louis Armstrong Stadium and sent Anisimova home with a 6-2, 7-5 win.
"I think I'm the happiest person out here," said Potapova, who served for the match in the second set and got broken, but held the second time.
Anisimova has struggled to carry over her success from last summer into this season. She also made the Wimbledon final in 2025, rose to No. 4 in the world and seemed poised to make a serious run at major titles.
She made the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, but she has now not made the second week of the past three Grand Slams. She made a coaching change in the spring, parting ways with Hendrik Vleeshouwers, the Dutch coach who helped guide her to the best season of her career in 2025. It was a startling rise from the 200s to the top of the sport.
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But frustrated with her early results in 2026, Anisimova decided to look for a different voice. She partnered with German coach Sebastian Sachs, only to reunite with Vleeshouwers for the North American hard court swing.
Anisimova said in a news conference that she feels like her game has been coming around. She struggled to manage the windy conditions inside Louis Armstrong Stadium, and characterized her Grand Slam season as "pretty average," though she gave herself a bit of grace. She played the French Open right after a wrist injury had sidelined her for six weeks.
She also said Vleeshouwers was back on her team full-time.
"Oh, yeah, of course, I'm gonna continue working with him, and today's match doesn't change our partnership," she said.
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Anisimova seemed to be making progress, but on Saturday she struggled to handle shots whenever Potapova was able to keep her deep in the court.
In the first set, it was one-way traffic. In the second, whenever Anisimova found a way to break through, with controlled aggressiveness and potent backhands down the line, the errors returned on her own service games.
She committed 18 errors on her forehand, her weaker side, and won just half of the points on her first serve. At the other end, Potapova just absorbed and absorbed and absorbed, staying on an even keel even as she double-faulted at key moments down the stretch.
On one last Anisimova ball long, this year's Grand Slam summer went away. Potapova will face French Open champion Mirra Andreeva in the fourth round, after she defeated rising Czech talent Nikola Bartůňková 6-2, 7-6(5).
This article originally appeared in The Athletic .
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