ITF

HOME SUCCESS FOR ANISIMOVA A manda Anisimova sweetened her Sweet Sixteen year by winning her first Grand Slam title at the US Open in September. The occasion was the American's second shot in a Grand Slam junior singles final — Anisimova was a surprise finalist at junior Roland Garros in 2016. This time around, however, she was a more seasoned competitor. Early in the week at Flushing Meadows, Anisimova was transparent regarding the importance of playing to win at the US Open. She achieved her goal by securing a 60 62 win over 13-year-old fellow American wild card recipient Cori Gauff in the final. It's worth noting that despite the scoreline it took Anisimova ten match points before she could call herself a US Open champion. "I really haven't been playing many junior events," Anisimova said. "I really want to win my first Slam, especially this one, my home Slam, because that would be very cool so I'm going for it." Anisimova spoke the truth as the US Open was only her third junior event of the year. She captured the Porto Alegre trophy in February and lost in the Roland Garros quarterfinals. She's spent most of 2017 testing her talent on the ITF Pro Circuit, where by US Open time she had reached four finals, losing three and winning the other in a walkover. Anisimova credits her time playing at pro tournaments with providing valuable experience as well as a clearer understanding of what is required to become a top-level player. "I think my mind kind of changed," Anisimova said. "I started focusing more and acting more like a professional. Everything is so different up there. I think that prepared me a lot for this junior Slam, because before last year I don't think I was as good as I am now." Indeed, Anisimova's ability to zoom in on tennis was a requirement at the US Open, considering she had the safety of family members back home in South Florida during Hurricane Irma on her mind. "It's really bad in Florida," Anisimova said after her victory. "I'm really praying for everyone there. My mom [who had to leave the US Open] had to evacuate my grandma to a different state. It's pretty upsetting that she couldn't be here with me, but I was also fighting and trying to win it for her, too." Anisimova went on to candy-coat her US Open victory a few weeks later by joining Whitney Osuigwe and Caty McNally to win the 2017 Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas title for the USA. ITFWORLD WINTER 2017 37

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