Xinyu Wang fought with grit and imagination but eventually ran out of steam as fourth seed Amanda Anisimova edged past her 7-6(4) 6-4 in a high-quality contest, bringing an end to the Chinese player’s spirited run at the Australian Open.
In the absence of Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng, Wang carried Asia’s challenge and kept China’s flag flying, pushing one of the tournament favourites across two fiercely contested sets in the women’s singles fourth round.
Anisimova stayed aggressive making powerful returns, resulting in a number of unforced errors. Wang to her credit countered the power with poise. She matched the shot-making of Anisimova considerably well and used the drop shots quite effectively.
Serving at 4-5, and 15-all, an unforced error from Wang opened a little window for the American but the Chinese warded off the danger with good serve.
Wang then fired a backhand to net at 30-all that gave Anisimova a set point but the American netted her forehand.
Smart use of drop shots was a routine for Wang and the Chinese pulled off another at the tight time to stay afloat.
In the tie-breaker, Anisimova moved to 3-1 lead but double faulted to allow Wang bring it on an even keel.
Consecutive winners while serving gave Anisimova a 6-3 lead and a cushion of three set points. Wang saved the first with with her aggressive returns but American sealed the set with a fierce backhand return that Wang could not reach.
Wang saved a break-point in the very first game of the second set when Anisimova found a screaming forehand winner at 30-all but the Chinese held nerves to save, returning the favour with a world class backhand winner down the line.
Strong returns put pressure on Wang’s serve and she finally crumbled on the fifth break chance, sealing the opening game with a backhand winner.
Wang got the break back immediately, but her backhand soared over the baseline at 30-40 in the next game as Anisimova yet again nosed ahead.
Wang received medical time out for a trouble in her left leg immediately after dropping her serve and went off the court.
That break stayed with Anisimova, who surged to a 5-3 lead and closed the match without fuss. A forehand error from Wang gave Anisimova two match points and she sealed the contest with an ace.
Anisimova will now play fellow American Jessica Pegul in quarterfinals.
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