Emma Raducanu’s run at the Canadian Open came to a sudden halt after a heavy third-round defeat to Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova, winning just three games in a 6-2, 6-1 loss.
Raducanu, who had previously beaten the American twice, struggled from the start ; holding serve only twice and hitting just five winners compared to 29 from Anisimova. The British number one also racked up 22 unforced errors, never finding her rhythm in what turned into a one-sided contest.
Anisimova, ranked world number seven, has bounced back well after losing in her first Grand Slam final last month.
She’s now won 14 of her last 17 matches, the most on the WTA Tour during that stretch, and notched her 50th career win at WTA 1000 level. She will face Elina Svitolina in the fourth round, after the Ukrainian breezed past Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-1.
In another notable upset, Latvia’s Anastasia Sevastova defeated defending champion and third seed Jessica Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Pegula had been on an 11-match winning streak in Montreal, but her form deserted her in the deciding set, committing several unforced errors as Sevastova took full control.
The 35-year-old Latvian, who returned from maternity leave earlier this year, registered her first win over a top-five opponent since 2017. She’ll now take on Naomi Osaka, who delivered a clinical 6-2, 6-4 victory over 22nd seed Jelena Ostapenko.
Speaking after her win, Osaka said:
“She broke me a couple times, but she’s a great returner. I can’t take it personally.”
In the men’s event, seventh seed Andrey Rublev came from a set down to defeat Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. The Russian credited his mental approach:
The main thing today was staying positive. After losing the first set, I didn’t get frustrated. I just kept fighting.
Rublev will next face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who knocked out 12th seed Jakub Mensik 6-2, 6-4.
Taylor Fritz, the tournament’s second seed, also progressed with a routine 6-4, 6-2 win over Canadian Gabriel Diallo, sealing the match in just 75 minutes.
