Anisimova sets sights on top spot after junior U.S. Open title

[September 11, 2017]  By Julien Pretot

NEW YORK (Reuters) - She is ranked only 182nd for now but U.S. Open junior champion Amanda Anisimova has already set her sights on the top spot in the world.

The 16-year-old American crushed compatriot Cori Gauff 6-0 6-2 in Sunday's junior final for her first major title after failing to qualify for the main seniors' draw in Flushing Meadows.

Anisimova made her main-draw grand-slam debut as a wild card entry at the French Open, a year after finishing runner-up in the junior tournament there.

She was the youngest player since 2005 to play in the main draw at Roland Garros.

This season, she has played -- and lost -- three finals on the third-tier ITF circuit.

"My first goal is maybe finish in the top 150 this year. That's what I want to start off with. I'm not going to get too ahead of myself," Anisimova told a news conference.

"I'm just going to do one tournament at a time, and just see how they go. I just really want to play in some main-draw tournaments at slams. That would be my goal for next year."

Anisimova, who was playing in her last junior tournament, will need to adjust to life as a professional tennis player but the process has already started.

Amanda Anisimova celebrates during her first round match against Japan's Kurumi NaraReuters / Benoit Tessier

"I think the pro tournaments have really made me develop more as a tennis player. I think my mind kind of changed. You know, I started focusing more and acting more like a professional," she said. "Everything is so different up there."

Anisimova believes she is just getting started and her ambitions are quite simple.

"I hope to be No. 1 and win every grand slam," she said.

(Editing by Clare Fallon)

[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.