Anisimova Overcomes Tagger at the US Open: A Win of Composure or a Warning Sign for the Title Chase?

New York, a September afternoon with 80-degree heat on the Grandstand court. Amanda Anisimova, the No. 10 seed, had just finished her second-round match with an unstoppable backhand down the line. She raised her hand, looking up at the stands where American flags fluttered in the wind. The 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over young Austrian talent Joelie Tagger was more than just a win. It was a panoramic picture of ambition, fragility, and the complex puzzles modern women's tennis poses to both seasoned veterans and rising stars.

The match began like a symphony of dominance. Anisimova, with her characteristic aggressive baseline style, continuously pressured Tagger with powerful serves and early strikes off both wings. She broke in the third game and closed out the first set convincingly at 6-3. But the second set witnessed a puzzling collapse. A double fault at 2-1 handed the break to her opponent, and from there, Tagger, with the freedom of a player with nothing to lose, began to play inspired tennis. She won four of the next five games to take the set 6-3, leveling the match.

The composed comeback in the third set was the most crucial tactical highlight of the match. Anisimova did not falter. She immediately re-established the attacking template that had won her the first set: serve well, move forward, and strike early. She broke in the very first game and continued to pile on the pressure. In the fourth game, after saving multiple break points, she converted her seventh break point of that game to lead 4-0, extinguishing any hope of a comeback from her young opponent. The stat line of 30 winners to Tagger's 15, with an equal number of unforced errors, showed that the victory came from attacking power and finishing ability, not from the opponent's weakness.

What is striking is the contrast in Anisimova's form between the second and third sets. This is not a tactical issue but a problem of focus and intensity maintenance. Once she had the lead of a set, she tended to ease off, allowing her younger opponent to regain confidence. Looking at the statistics, the spike in unforced errors in the second set is the clearest evidence. This is a recurring pattern, and it could become a real vulnerability if she faces higher-ranked opponents in later rounds.

Numbers are just seasoning. People are the main course. And the person Anisimova in this match showed two completely different versions. The first was a true title contender: agile movement, decisive shot-making, and complete control of the match's tempo. The second was a player struggling to find herself, making inexplicable errors and letting a much younger opponent dictate the flow. This fragmentation is a major warning sign for her quest for a first Grand Slam title.

As for Tagger, despite the loss, she proved she is a talent worth watching. At just 18, with the Roland Garros junior title and her first WTA title in Prague this year, she is the youngest Austrian to win a WTA title. Breaking into the top 50 just months into her professional career shows rapid development. In the second set, she demonstrated smart tactical adjustments by hitting deeper and extending rallies to neutralize her opponent's power. However, 15 winners to her opponent's 30, with similar unforced errors, shows she still lacks the killer weapon needed to sustain pressure in a three-set battle. She is a rough diamond, but one that still needs time to be polished.

A silent summer turns records into orphaned numbers. But this summer, Anisimova is writing her own story with telling numbers. Her 17-5 record on hard courts this season (a 77.3% win rate) is among the best in the top tier of the WTA. Reaching the Dubai semifinals, and the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and Cincinnati, shows her form is genuine, not the result of an easy draw. However, a shadow looms over her at this tournament: the points she must defend from her 2026 US Open final run. With 1,300 points at stake, an early exit to Potapova in the third round would cost her roughly 1,100 points and almost certainly drop her from the top 10. This pressure, though unspoken, undoubtedly affects her mental state on court.

The analytics darling must eventually stand on her own two feet. After her mental health break in 2026, Anisimova returned strongly in 2026 with back-to-back Grand Slam finals. In 2026, she is in a phase of consolidating her position. However, the fragility in the second set against Tagger shows she hasn't fully overcome difficult moments. She can beat anyone in a one-sided match, but when the match enters a tight phase, questions about consistency resurface.

The third-round match against No. 24 seed Anastasia Potapova will be the first real test. Potapova is a consistent top-25 player with a powerful baseline game and no fear of any opponent. Unlike Tagger, she has the experience to exploit Anisimova's moments of lapses in concentration. This will be a real battle, where everything will be decided by composure and consistency, not just flashy shots.

Spreadsheets don't know desire, and we shouldn't pretend otherwise. But on the court, Anisimova's desire is real. She wants to prove she is not just a player with potential but a true champion. The win over Tagger was a necessary step, but it also served as a reminder that the road to a title is always fraught with obstacles. Can she maintain her focus through each round? Can she turn her attacking power into a reliable weapon, rather than a double-edged sword? The answers will come on Arthur Ashe Stadium in the coming days, where only the truly composed can stand tall.