Anisimova: Power And Precision Are A Winning Combo On Charleston Clay

Amanda Anisimova
Amanda Anisimova (photo: Charleston Tennis LLC)

CHARLESTON, S.C./WASHINGTON, April 4, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

As eight quarterfinal berths were up for grabs at the Credit One Charleston Open on Daniel Island in the South Carolina Lowcountry Thursday, seven Americans took to the green clay with an eye toward making the last eight.

With one all-American battle, between No. 4 seed Emma Navarro and No. 15 seed Ashlyn Krueger featured on Credit One Stadium during the day session, it meant that only six at most from the United States could advance. By the end of the night, a total of five Americans would move into the quarterfinals – most since 1982 – following the upset of World No. 5 and second seed Madison Keys.

The first American through to the quarterfinal round – World No. 16 Amanda Anisimova – is one who has let her tennis racquet do her biding this week during the WTA Tour‘s first clay-court event of the season.

After winning her first WTA 1000 earlier this season in Doha, then snapping Indian Wells champion Mirra Andreeva‘s 13-match winning streak in her hometown of Miami at the Miami Open, the 23-year-old Anisimova has shown this week how well her power and precision game that suits her well on hard courts translates to clay.

In the lead-off match on Credit One Stadium, Anisimova advanced to her third quarterfinal of the season – and second Charleston quarterfinal in her fifth main-draw appearance – with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 10 seed Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in an hour and 16 minutes. It was Anisimova’s third win overall against Putintseva and second in the Lowcountry, and the loss kept Putintseva from reaching her third Charleston quarterfinal.

On this day, the No. 8 seed Anisimova had all the right stuff and it translated into her 13th win in 18 outings this season, while Putintseva dropped to 8-9. Anisimova struck 22 winners – including four aces, the one on match point – and converted three of four break points. She outpointed Putintseva 62-48. It was her 51st career win against a Top-50 opponent. On Tuesday, Anisimova began with a 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 52 Veronika Kudermetova of Russia. So, the American has yet to drop a set this week.

“I’ve played a lot of clay tournaments during my junior career – I played a lot in South America – so, I think that’s where I picked it up from,” said Anisimova during her on-court interview, describing where she garnered her clay-court skills. “I love playing on clay, I love playing here – especially the first clay-court tournament of the year – it’s always nice to be here. I think that’s also why I also play really well [on clay].”

In a season in which Anisimova has risen to a career-high ranking, the 23-year-old born in New Jersey has worked hard to enjoy the success that has been coming her way. “I think it’s been a lot of hard work that I’ve been doing – I have a great team around me and I’ve been enjoying working with them – and I feel like we’re making the right choices and slowly making steps forward,” she said. “I feel like when you trust the process – and enjoy it – things start coming your way. I’m enjoying myself on and off the court and, I think, success comes out of that.”

Hometown favorite Navarro reaches first Charleston quarterfinal

On Friday, Anisimova will face the World No. 11 and hometown favorite Emma Navarro. Since coming to play at Credit One Stadium as a 17-year-old wild card in 2019, she always faces immense pressure when she plays this event. Thursday afternoon, the Pride of Charleston rallied from a set and a break down to defeat the 34th-ranked Ashlyn Krueger, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, in two hours and eight minutes for her 13th victory of the season. Navarro’s latest win advanced to her first Charleston Open quarterfinal against Anisimova, whom she is 0-2 lifetime – both on hard courts.

Navarro hit 21 winners, made just 16 unforced errors, converted seven of 12 break-point opportunities against Krueger and outpointed her 93-73. Kruger countered with 17 winners and broke Navarro five times in 13 chances but also made 40 unforced errors.

During her on-court interview, Navarro said she’s excited to be part of the last eight in Charleston for the first time. “I’m excited. [Amanda] plays a really big game. Strong serve. Strong from the baseline. I’ll try to push back against that. Excited to come out here and play in front of you guys again. It’s been a blast. Let’s keep it rolling!”

Later, during her post-match news conference Navarro added: “Really proud of my effort today. I think first set she was super in control and really couldn’t get footing in my return games, her service games, and just came out in the second set and played really aggressively and wanted to push back against her and make her think a little bit more on her serve. I think I was able to do that and ended up returning really well. And, yeah, some ups and down with my serve, but I think the way I returned allowed for that to happen and me to be okay. So, yeah, happy with that, my performance today.”

Kalinskaya upsets Keys, first Top-10 win of season

No. 14 seed Anna Kalinskaya equaled her best performance in Charleston by reaching her second quarterfinal after upsetting World No. 5 and second seed Madison Keys of the United States, 6-2, 6-4, in an hour and 19 minutes Thursday evening.

Following a semifinal run in Singapore earlier this season, the 33rd-ranked Kalinskaya is through to her second quarterfinal of the season after recording her 11th career Top-10 triumph and first of this season.

Although she hit just nine winners to 13 unforced errors, Kalinskaya converted four of five break points against Keys and took full advantage of the 40 unforced errors made by the reigning Australian Open champion. Kalinskaya outpointed Keys 67-50. She is yet to drop a set in her first two matches this week in Charleston.

“This one is special,” Kalinskaya said during her on-court interview, after winning just her sixth match in 13 outings this season. “I needed this for my confidence. I had an unfortunate start to the year. It’s nice to be back and playing at such a high level.”

Later, during an interview with Tennis Channel, Kalinskaya was asked what her secret to her success against Top-10 players is. She replied: “I have less doubts when I play against top players and I just go for it.”

On Friday, Kalinskaya will face No. 44 Sofia Kenin of the United States, who needed three match points to defeat World No. 12 and fifth seed Daria Kasatkina of Australia, 6-3, 7-6 (7), in an hour and 44 minutes Thursday evening to reach her first Charleston quarterfinal in seven appearances.

Kenin overcame 44 unforced errors to hit 35 winners. She saved six of nine break points she faced and broke Kasatkina four times in six opportunities. Kenin outpointed her opponent 80-72 to advance to her third quarterfinal of the season following Hobart and Dubai.

Around the Credit One Charleston Open

• The mid-afternoon matchup of 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko against 2024 Charleston champion Danielle Collins headlined play on Althea Gibson Club Court – and, arguably, was the most intriguing matchup of the day. After all, both the 11th seed from Latvia and the No. 7 seed from the United States have big personalities and they are regarded as two of the most emotional – and engaging – players on the WTA Tour.

“She’s a great player and also a great personality,” Ostapenko said Collins in advance of their third-round match. “It’s going to be a tough match. I think we pretty much play the same style of tennis, so I think we’re going to have some big-hitting rallies.”

By the end of their one-hour, 42-minute tussle, Collins had won her eighth straight in Charleston, a 7-5, 6-3 victory, in which she recovered from being down 3-1 in the opening set. The American No. 6 broke Ostapenko’s serve five times in 10 tries and outscored her opponent 76-65 to advance to Friday’s quarterfinal round.

Collins will face World No. 4 and top seed Jessica Pegula, who routed No. 87 Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia, 6-3, 6-2, in 72 minutes, behind 26 winners and four breaks of her opponent’s serve. Pegula outpointed Tomljanovic 65-41.

“I thought I played really well, mixed it up, a lot of variety,” Pegula said during her post-match news conference. “There was times where I felt like I was really on and kind of in the flow of everything. So, really glad with my performance.”

She will take a 5-0 career head-to-head against Collins into their last eight skirmish.

Meanwhile, in a matchup of big hitters between Ostapenko and Collins, the two fierce competitors didn’t disappoint those who packed into the second show court at Daniel Island. Despite being down breaks in both sets, Collins showed plenty of mental toughness. “I felt I actually got off to an OK start,” she said during her on-court interview. “I was just down in the score. I was lining up my shots well. … Once I found my timing – and kept going after it – I put myself in a good position to come back into the match and to play some solid tennis.

“I’ve been going into each match with a positive mindset and enjoying my time out here. I’m really having a lot of fun. I’m sure [the fans] can tell. I’m pretty intense out there but I do really enjoy this. I try to embrace these special moments on the court.”

Collins brought one of her dogs, Quincy, a Labradoodle, onto the court for her post-match interview. “For Quincy, it’s just another day, another dollar,” Collins quipped. “It’s just another day at work and I think he has a ton of fun doing this and being a part of the pack on the road.”

• Earlier, in an all-Russian matchup, No. 9 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova fired eight aces – including her last one on match point – and upset No. 6 seed Diana Shnaider, 6-2, 6-1, in 55 minutes. The 26th-ranked Alexandrova won 78 percent of her first-serve points, converted all five of her break-point opportunities and outpointed Shnaider 55-31. After arriving in Charleston on a four-match losing streak after reaching the semifinals in Doha, Alexandrova has strung together a pair of solid wins against American Ann Li and Shnaider and has only dropped six games. The victory improved her win-loss record this season to 10-7, which includes a title run in Linz.

“My serve worked well and I was trying to keep it during the whole match,” Alexandrova said during her on-court interview. “I’m glad that I could. [Diana] is a great player and I knew it would be difficult to play against her on clay. My strength is my serve and it was a great match for me. I’m happy to be through to the quarterfinals.”

• Next, Alexandrova will face No. 3 seed Zheng Qinwen of China, who outlasted No. 13 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, in two hours and 22 minutes for her 10th victory of 2025.

Zheng, appearing in the Lowcountry for the first time since making her debut in 2022, endured a final service game that stretched over five deuces and 16 points. She saved five break points and finally put away her 13th straight win on clay going back to last season on her second match point. Zheng outpointed Mertens 96-82 to advance to her first Charleston quarterfinal.

• Later, Shnaider teamed with American Peyton Stearns to upset No. 2 seeds Hao-Ching Chan of Taiwan and Veronika Kudermetova of Russia, 4-6, 6-3, 11-9 and advance to the doubles semifinals. They will face Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk, who defeated Bethanie Mattel-Sands of the United States and Lucie Safarova of Czechia, 6-4, 6-2.

Thursday’s Charleston Open results

Friday’s Charleston Open order of play

By the numbers

After defeating No. 15 seed Ashlyn Kruger to reach her first Charleston Open quarterfinal, it marked the third time Emma Navarro has reached the last eight on clay a total of three times – her best career result on the surface – after previously advancing to quarterfinals at Palermo and Strasbourg in 2023.

“Quotable …”

“She’s a great player and also a great personality. … She’s the way she is. She’s not like trying to be someone that people are waiting for. She’s just herself and she’s really what she is, and I kind of like it.”

– Larger-than-life personality Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia on American Danielle Collins, during her post-match news conference Wednesday after defeating qualifier Louisa Chirico of the United States.

 

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