Amanda Anisimova to miss US Open following death of her father

Teenage sensation Amanda Anisimova, who was expected to be seeded at the US Open, has pulled out of the final major of the year. On Monday, her agent confirmed in a report with ESPN that Anisimova’s father and coach, Konstantin, had passed away unexpectedly.

A number of players, including Anisimova's idol Maria Sharapova and Nick Kyrgios, expressed their sympathies on social media.

Just two years ago, Anisimova defeated Cori “Coco” Gauff to win the junior girls’ singles event at Flushing Meadows. Anisimova, who turns 18 on August 31, won her first WTA singles title in April at Bogota and followed up that clay-court success with a sensational Roland Garros run. In Paris, she ousted reigning champion Simona Halep in a dominating performance and led eventual winner Ashleigh Barty by a set and a break before losing in the semifinals.

Anisimova ended the 2018 season at No. 95 and is currently the youngest member of the WTA’s Top 100—24th in Monday's rankings. She played just one tournament during the North American summer hard-court swing, falling to Saisai Zheng in the San Jose quarterfinals. Zheng went on to lift her first WTA singles trophy.