Defending champion Naomi Osaka was dumped out of the Australian Open in the third round on Friday by unseeded American Amanda Anisimova to open up the draw for title favourite Ashleigh Barty.

Anisimova, ranked 60th in the world, saved two match points to stun the former world number one 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10/5) and will now face Barty in the last 16.

It was a hugely disappointing end for Osaka in Melbourne, having also gone out at the same stage at the US Open in September, after which she took a break from tennis.

In the men’s draw, Rafael Nadal underlined his status as one of the favourites with a four-set victory over Russian 28th seed Karen Khachanov.

Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

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