Pace combined with that ability to execute at crunch makes for a hair-raising spectacle. A two-hander that shreds defenses. An ace down-the-middle at match point. An evening of dazzling fireworks.
Amanda Anisimova, 20, ranked 60, showed how it is done. The American's hissing stroke play paved the way, throwing a battling Naomi Osaka on the backfoot. She then blitzed two match points to come away with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10-5) result in the third-round of the Australian Open.
Tactically it was a match of titanic proportions. Osaka's first serve stood out like a tower, a lighthouse, that for most part directed the course of the 2-hour 15-minute encounter . The 24-year-old, who dominates with her power, had significantly greater purchase on her first serve, winning 76 percent of the points (50 of 66).
The average speed of her first serve was 12 kmph more than that of her opponent's.
Anisimova checked that midway through the contest, early in the second set. She went after Osaka's second serve with the supreme glee of a child in a fantasy park, working overtime and piling the pressure on her opponent's first serve. Her 46 winners are testimony to that.
The senior pro only won 22 of 42 points on her second serve.
It's not often that Osaka is outpaced, but on Friday she was caught off guard by the speed of her opponent's shots. The Japanese argued that the ball was not heavy, but that it stayed low and constricted. Puncturing her charge.
The American, a teenage sensation who stormed the semifinals of the French Open as a 17-year-old back in 2019, rising to No.21 in the rankings, lost her father Konstantin to a heart-attack three months later. He was her coach and was just 52 years of age. The last couple of years were a struggle for the Anisimova.
Anisimova, who was off the radar when she arrived in Australia three weeks ago, emerged as the unseeded challenger following her title win in her first tournament of the season. She roped in Aussie Darren Cahill to her team and credited him with keeping her calm.
Osaka, whose ranking will now drop outside the top-80, shrugged off the loss, saying, "I'm not God. I can't win every match."
"To me it's exciting, not the loss itself, but the person I lost to," she said. "It shows the growth of tennis. It grows more superstars and that's good for the game. It's like everything is coming in full circle."
The American, known to give much away, played to form. "I don't think I played amazing tennis," Anisimova said after pulling off her first top-20 win following nine straight losses. "It was a little bit tough and I was pretty nervous. In the tough moments I was able to produce some good tennis."
In the fourth round on Monday the 20-year-old will play world No.1 Ashleigh Barty, who put out Italian Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-3. Barty had stopped the American's charge in the semifinals of the French Open three years ago.
Meanwhile the 2009 champion Rafael Nadal blitzed Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in the third round.
