Drama on Stadium 2 as Anisimova retires, Fernandez advances

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INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – If it feels like tennis is bringing the drama on a regular basis these days, that’s a correct interpretation of the situation.

And on Saturday, a few hours before Naomi Osaka’s tough night on the main stadium, American Amanda Anisimova struggled with her own issues on Stadium 2 against Canadian Leylah Fernandez.

But unlike Osaka, Anisimova was unable to finish the match.

After serving for it in the second set, and watching four match points come and go, the 20-year-old was shut out in the second-set tiebreak to even the match at a set apiece.

And after a slightly surreal moment – during which it was hard to tell which way the retirement winds were going to blow – Anisimova walked over to Fernandez, told her she was retiring, and shook her hand.

“She was just saying that she wasn’t feeling well, and that she just wants to stop the match. And she wished me luck. And that was it. So I just hope that she feels better and that I see her back on court very soon,” Fernandez told Open Court afterwards.

“We’d never want to finish a match this way. Especially after a great battle. We just want to keep going. But Amanda isa great tennis player, a great person. And the sport needs her, truth be told,” she added.

Much off-court drama for Anisimova

The winds of drama have been swirling around Anisimova this week. It emerged that new coach Darren Cahill, who began working with her in Australia, was on hand in the California desert for her first practice.

And then, suddenly, he just … left. There are lot of rumours going around – none of which bear repeating. But it’s safe to say that the upshot of it all is that the young American did not take the court in the most serene frame of mind. Her first-round win over wild card Emma Navarro was as routine as could be. But then things got a little complicated.

“I was not aware about anything going on outside the court. I always try to stay focused on my game on my own match. And just find solutions on my own. Not really looking on the other side, not really looking in the crowd just staying in my own bubble,” Fernandez said.

Throughout the latter part of Saturday night’s match, the emotions were visible with Anisimova. She was in tears and who looked just desolate and forlorn on a few of the changeovers.

*Anisimova struggled to keep her composure during some of the changeovers in the second set*

After those match points came and went, she basically stopped trying, letting balls fly by her.

When the tiebreak was over, she stood for a few moments at her chair, then sat down briefly.

And then, when she got up again and began to walk over to Fernandez’s side, it was over.

With the match on a set break, viewers at home were likely unaware of the dramatic dénouement. And the fans in Stadium 2 were certainly flummoxed as well.

Anisimova went over to Fernandez before alerting chair umpire Zhang Juan. So there was no announcement.

Suddenly, as the American walked off, the stadium interviewer/emcee boomed out, “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AMANDA ANISIMOVA!!!!”

Meanwhile, Fernandez was jumping up and down near her chair – looking for all the world like a player trying to stay warm while her opponent had a medical timeout.

Only after that did Zhang announce that “due to illness” that Anisimova had retired at 2-6, 7-6 (0), did the crowd figure out what was happening.

A lucky break for Fernandez

The second-rounder was a tough early matchup for both Anisimova and Fernandez. And there was no reason not look forward to a spirited battle.

But beyond Anisimova’s tough week, Fernandez did not get off to a good start. The American was all over her for the first set and a half.

“It happens. I can’t go into details right now, I haven’t even talked to my dad yet. But yes, I felt it on the court. It’s just things weren’t weren’t going in,” Fernandez said. “I was trying to follow the game plan. I was just missing some balls. And credit to Amanda, she was playing some really nice shots. So I’m not going to say that I was the one who played badly. She was playing really well, too.

“I can’t pinpoint exactly what went wrong. I can just say that today was not my best tennis. But I was just very, very glad that I was able to fight and just kept at it, stayed in the match and try to try to put one more ball back in play, which helped at the end.”

Sometimes, if you have ambitions for a deep run, you need a lucky break.

And whether or not Fernandez would have been able to come back and win – always possible if, as she’s fond of saying, you fight until the last point – it remains that she is onto the third round.

Next up a tough one: Shelby Rogers

She’ll face another American, Shelby Rogers, who upset No. 10 seed Jelena Ostapenko Saturday.

And that is hardly a gimme. The two have played twice. And Rogers prevailed on both occasions.

The first was in the summer of 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky – right after tennis returned from its five-month stoppage early in the pandemic.

And the second was a barnburner here in the desert just five months ago, in the fourth round of the October edition.

This was just a month after Fernandez’s run to the US Open final. And after the Canadian won the first set, Rogers came back to post a 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) win.

But first, some doubles

Fernandez will be back on court later Sunday, as she and partner Alizé Cornet try to build upon their dramatic upset win over No. 2 seeds Zhang Shuti and Samantha Stosur in the first round.

They’ll play another pair of veterans in Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva.