American tennis star Amanda Anisimova wasted no time making her presence felt at Wimbledon, cruising past qualifier Lina Gjorcheska 6-3, 6-2 in the first round on Tuesday to advance to the next stage of the Grand Slam tournament.
Anisimova, who reached last year’s Wimbledon final only to fall to Iga Swiatek in a lopsided 6-0, 6-0 title match, showed absolutely no signs of that painful loss as she dominated play on Court Two against her North Macedonian challenger.
Gjorcheska made history just by taking the court, becoming the first player from North Macedonia to compete in a Grand Slam main draw. She put up a fight late in the match in an effort to extend the contest, but Anisimova proved too strong, wrapping up the victory in 61 minutes.
The American has been managing a wrist injury in recent weeks, but her performance gave little indication of any physical limitations. After the match, she acknowledged the challenge of facing a qualifier who had already built up match rhythm heading into the draw.
“It’s not easy playing a qualifier who has had a few matches under her belt,” Anisimova said. “She played great, we haven’t faced each other, so it was a tricky first round. I’m super excited to be back here.”
Anisimova also reflected on the positive feelings that returning to the prestigious grass-court tournament brought her. “When I got here I was filled with great memories and I’m trying to carry that vibe … trying to enjoy each day here,” she added.
Next up for Anisimova is a second-round matchup against either Petra Marcinko or Sofia Kenin.
