Amanda Anisimova loses second round, Emma Navarro progresses to Auckland quarters

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — The American former teenage star Amanda Anisimova struck the first roadblock in her comeback from an eight months break Wednesday when she was beaten 6-0, 6-1 by Marie Bouzkova in the second round of the Auckland Tennis Classic.

Anisimova played her first match since May in the opening round of the Auckland tournament after taking a break from tennis, citing burnout and mental health issues.

She beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in two sets in the first round in a match which stretched over two hours. But she was unable to get a foothold in her second round match against fifth-seeded Bouzkova from the Czech Republic who was flawless and didn't give her a single opening.

Bouzkova put 80 percent of first serves in play and managed to neutralize Anisimova's power-hitting game from the baseline.

"I think it couldn't get any better for me," Boukova said. "I think I stayed very solid.

"I tried and Amanda is such a huge hitter so it's not easy to find some winners but I'm glad I could find a few here and there and get the win here today."

Anismova is a former U.S. Open junior champion who was a French Open semifinalist in 2019 and whose singles ranking peaked at 21 that year.

She stuck mainly to the baseline on Wednesday and occasionally showed her power game. Bouzkova broke up her game with variations, going to the net at times and using top-spin and slice to constantly change the momentum of the match.

Earlier, fourth-seed American Emma Navarro was impressive in beating Elina Avanesyan 6-1, 6-2 in just over 70 minutes.

"I'm finding my groove a little bit, second match of the year so it's good to have some court time behind me," Navarro said. "I'm happy with my performance today and that I'm able to move on and keep playing some tennis here in Auckland."