As the moon rises over the Miami Open tonight, the tennis world eagerly anticipates the face-off between young titans Emma Raducanu and Amanda Anisimova. The 23-year-old Anisimova, who recently sent ripples through the tournament with an unexpected victory over Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva, has issued a silent warning to her latest adversary, Raducanu.
Anisimova’s win over 17-year-old Andreeva, who was widely considered a likely tournament champion, was nothing short of dramatic. The Russian starlet, who has bagged the last two WTA 1000 events, had her impressive 13-match winning streak abruptly halted by Anisimova. This victory propelled Anisimova into the international limelight and placed her sixth in the world rankings, marking her as the youngest player to crack into the top 10 since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007.
The match, however, was clouded with controversy. Down 3-1 in the deciding set, Anisimova called for a medical timeout to attend to a blister on her right hand’s middle finger. Andreeva, visibly upset, protested this move, accusing her opponent of strategically breaking the momentum to catch a breather. The umpire, however, dismissed her objections.
Ironically, Andreeva had previously taken her own timeout during the first set, citing stomach pain and breathing issues. In response to what Anisimova perceived as hypocrisy, she took to Instagram post-match, subtly brandishing her blistered middle finger. This was not only to show the extent of her injury but also to send a pointed message to her opponent.
Further adding fuel to the fire, Anisimova mocked a comment made by Andreeva, captioning her Instagram post, “‘We all know why’ at 3-1 up was a good one coming from the 1-2 first set medical.” The world number 17 didn’t hold back in her post-match presser either, commenting on the early disruption, “I think it broke the rhythm of the match a little bit because we had just started. I was trying to pick up my rhythm after that.”
Anisimova’s next challenge is Raducanu, the British star who has been a revelation at the Miami Open. Raducanu, despite a less-than-stellar run in the lead up to the tournament, has managed to defy expectations by reaching the last-16. As the two are set to face off tonight (Monday), all eyes will be watching whether Raducanu will heed Anisimova’s silent warning or rise to the occasion.
