Emma Raducanu suffered a crushing 6-2 6-1 defeat to Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova in the third round of the Canadian Open. The British star had previously beaten her American opponent in both of their earlier encounters, though under somewhat contentious circumstances.

But there was no questioning the outcome in Montreal, with Raducanu managing to hold serve just once during Anisimova’s commanding display.

Back at the Australian Open in January, Raducanu faced fierce criticism from Anisimova’s supporters, who accused her of gamesmanship during their clash. Trailing 3-0 in the opening set, she requested a medical timeout for treatment on a lower back problem.

She then reeled off six consecutive games to spark allegations that she had called for the trainer purely to disrupt her rival’s rhythm.

Raducanu fought back to claim victory in the season’s first Grand Slam, leading one detractor to fume on X: “She’s a cheater! Running around winning three games after a MTO on a hip? Please! Faker.” Another added: “This is flat out cheating by the way.”

She validated that comeback with a 6-1 6-3 triumph over Anisimova at the Miami Open two months later, before Anisimova secured her payback in Montreal.

Anisimova recovered from 40-15 behind to break Raducanu’s serve in the second game of the encounter and, despite the new British No 1 breaking back instantly, she was unable to create another break point opportunity in the contest that concluded in just over an hour. 

Anisimova, who previously defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the Wimbledon semi-finals, dominated the second set, with Raducanu only managing to win eight points on her own serve and narrowly avoiding a complete shutout.

Next, she’ll face off against 10th seed Elina Svitolina in the last 16, following Svitolina’s 6-1 6-1 triumph over Anna Kalinskaya.

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Anisimova’s performance signifies a significant improvement from her previous matches with Raducanu. During their encounters in the States, Anisimova was so thoroughly defeated that Annabel Croft expressed concern for the American player.

“She is all over the place,” Croft commented about Anisimova during Sky Sports commentary. “That sigh says it all. Fed up out here. Not enjoying this. She’s being humiliated.”

Anisimova managed to hit 29 winners compared to 25 unforced errors during the match, while Raducanu could only muster five winners against 22 unforced errors.

The new world No. 7 has now claimed victory in 14 of her last 17 matches on the WTA Tour since the beginning of the grass court season, more than any other player during that period, marking her 29th consecutive win when she has taken the first set.