The best part of waking up is supposed to be Folgers in your cup—not learning that defending champion Naomi Osaka was knocked out of the Australian Open after losing to unseeded American Amanda Anisimova in the third round of the tournament.
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I see the Devil is busy today.
Per ESPN, in order to accomplish such a daunting feat, Anisimova knew she had to clean up her mistakes and play more aggressively after losing the opening set 4-6.
“I knew I had to be playing sharp if I wanted to give myself a chance,” she told reporters after pissing off the entire nation of Wakanda.
Apparently, it worked—as evidenced by the following from ESPN and the headline of this very article that I reluctantly had to write:
Defending champion Naomi Osaka didn’t make it to a much-anticipated fourth-round contest against top-ranked Ashleigh Barty at the Australian Open.
Amanda Anisimova, a 20-year-old American ranked 60th in the world, ensured that so-called final-before-the-final wouldn’t happen when she beat the four-time major champion 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) Friday.
Unfortunately, this would be the fourth time the 24-year-old was unable to defend a major title and the 11th time she’s been knocked out of the third round in a Grand Slam.
Didn’t I tell you the Devil was busy?
“Naomi is an absolute champion so I knew I had to really step up my game,” Anisimova said. “I think I started doing that in the second set. I’m so grateful I was able to play so well today and get this win. It means a lot.”
Despite her loss, we previously reported at The Root that Osaka feels “more comfortable in her skin” after taking some time away from tennis to prioritize her mental health.
“Like there’s always the human nature to feel uneasy, to want to please everyone and stuff like that,” she said earlier this week. “I feel like there was a time after the French Open where I felt like everyone was judging me. […] It feels a bit weird when you go into a stadium to play and you’re kind of concerned what everyone’s gaze means.”
Hopefully, her shocking upset inspires her to come back even stronger the next time she takes the court.
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