A rejuvenated Amanda Anisimova ended former world No 2 Paula Badosa's injury comeback on Friday at the Australian Open, admitting she could not believe how well she was playing after a long break.
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The former teen prodigy, returning from eight months on the sidelines due to burnout and mental health issues, ground past the Spaniard 7-5, 6-4 to sweep into a fourth-round clash with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
"It's quite unbelievable after taking some time off, but I'm really feeling good," said the 22-year-old, who reached the semifinals at Roland Garros and won her first WTA title aged 17, sparking sky-high expectations.
"The most important thing is I'm enjoying my time out here.
"Taking a step away and just really being at home, just resetting myself, it just gave me a different perspective going into these tournaments and I'm really trying to be present when I am here and enjoy every second."
When Anisimova stepped away from the sport, she wrote on Instagram that it had become "unbearable being at tennis tournaments".
"At this point, my priority is my mental wellbeing and taking a break for some time. I've worked as hard as I could to push through it," she said.
Now, back and refreshed, she rallied from 4-1 down in the first set before breaking Badosa in the seventh game of the second set to power home.
"The first set took a lot out of me. It was a very tough tie, Paula is a tough competitor and I had to really dig deep there," she said.
Badosa missed the second half of 2023 with a stress fracture of the back.
But the 26-year-old, girlfriend of men's world No 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas, said ahead of the Australian Open she was much better and determined to recapture her best form.