Anisimova rallies from behind to defeat Samsonova in Adelaide, scores first win of 2023 season

American tennis player Amanda Anisimova kicked off her Adelaide International II campaign with a victory over Liudmila Samsonova, fighting back from a break down in the first set to advance to the round of 16.

Anisimova initially looked shaky in her 7-5 6-3 victory, as she was broken twice in the opening set. The qualifier was staring at a one-set deficit as Samsonova served for the opener, but the Russian was unable to close out the set. Anisimova relied on her powerful groundstrokes to fight rally back into the set, before obtaining the crucial break that saw her escape with the first set.

Samsonova was unable to generate much momentum in the second set, hitting five double faults and winning just one of eight points behind her second serve. This allowed her American opponent to capitalize on her hesitancy, as Anisimova generated enough pace from the baseline to garner two more breaks of serve and close out the match after an hour and 26 minutes.

With the first win of the season under her belt, Anisimova will look to double her match wins in 2023 when she faces 11th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the round of 16.