Amanda Anisimova took the first set 6-2 against Sofia Kenin at Wimbledon on Thursday, and the break came at the point where Kenin gave the set away with two double faults in the final game. The score put Anisimova in front early in a match that carried more weight than a routine first-set lead.
Amanda Anisimova and Sofia Kenin
Anisimova’s lead fits a sharper run of results over the past 12 months, which is the part of this matchup that gives the score more edge than the names alone. Kenin entered with stronger major-title pedigree, but the balance of recent form pointed the other way once the first set moved to 6-2.
The final game told the story plainly. Two double faults from Kenin handed the set over, and Anisimova did not need a long rally to separate herself on the scoreboard. In a match where the first set can often settle into pattern and patience, she finished the opener by taking advantage of the errors in front of her.
Kenin's 2020 pedigree
Kenin is still carrying the kind of resume that changes the way a match is read. She won the 2020 Australian Open and reached the final of the French Open in 2020, so the name on the other side of the net came with a proven Grand Slam track record. That pedigree explains why a 6-2 set against her registers beyond the number itself.
Anisimova’s own recent record gives the matchup its tension. The source frames her as the player with the better results over the past 12 months, which makes the first-set margin less like a surprise and more like the latest proof that current form can outweigh old trophies. Amanda Anisimova returns to Wimbledon after 6-0 6-0 final provides the other half of that backdrop.
Wimbledon 2026 pressure
Thursday’s set win also sat inside a wider day of action at Wimbledon 2026, where the singles draw was already shifting. The source said there were no British women left in the singles after Swan’s defeat earlier, which narrowed the home interest even as Anisimova and Kenin kept the match moving on its own terms.
For readers following Anisimova, the immediate takeaway is simple: she started with control, and Kenin had already paid for the two mistakes that ended the opening set. For readers tracking Kenin, the question is whether the 2020 champion can reset fast enough to make the pedigree matter again. The first set said she had not done that yet.
Tatjana Maria Beats Amanda Anisimova at Queen's Club is another recent result that shows how quickly this stretch has changed the way her matches are viewed.
