Amanda Anisimova overcame Sofia Kenin 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(10-3) in the Wimbledon women's singles second round on July 2, 2026, in London [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The match featured two American players both born to Russian immigrant parents, with Anisimova seeded sixth and Kenin ranked 105th in the world at the time [1, 3].
Anisimova delivered an outstanding serving performance, hitting 20 aces total, including nine in the tense deciding set [2, 4, 5, 6]. She credited her serve for the victory, saying, "I never thought I'd say this, but thank you to my serve, I'm not a good server at all but after today, I can say that I am" [2, 4]. She added, "Some moments were really awful and I'm really glad to be in the third round. Sofia is such a tough opponent and she's such a fighter" [1].
The match was tightly contested throughout. Anisimova took the first set comfortably 6-2 but Kenin fought back to take the second set 6-4. The deciding set went to a tiebreak, where Anisimova dominated 10-3 [1, 2]. Reflecting on the challenge, Anisimova said, "I was down and told myself to keep fighting. I try to remind myself – have fun, you’re playing at Wimbledon. These are the matches I train for, the tough ones, the fun ones" [4].
Anisimova will now face another American, Madison Keys, who is seeded 26th, in the third round [1, 2, 3, 4, 6]. Apart from her, 15 American men and women have advanced to the third round at Wimbledon in 2026, tying a record since 1995 for American players progressing this far [6].
On the same day, American male player Taylor Fritz also advanced by defeating Patrick Kypson 6-2, 6-2, 7-5 in his second-round match [2, 5, 6].
The next round featuring Anisimova and Keys is scheduled to take place later in the tournament as the 2026 Wimbledon Championships continue in London.
