Birthday win and locker surprise

Amanda Anisimova marked her 25th birthday with a straight-sets victory over fellow American Ashlyn Krueger in the first round of the S. Open on Monday, winning 6-1 6-3 at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The world number 10, who reached the final last year, fought off three break points early to take a 2-1 lead in the opening set before closing out the match in one hour and 12 minutes, breaking Krueger's serve in the final game.

"Ashlyn's a great player so I knew it was going to be a tough match," Anisimova said in a post-match on-court interview, shortly before the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to her.

The win came after a birthday surprise in the locker room, where fellow tennis players Mirra Andreeva and Daria Kasatkina decorated Anisimova's locker with several viral photos of her that had become memes online. A sign read "HBD Meme Queen." Anisimova posted a video of the photos on her Instagram story with the caption "Dead."

Several of the photos were from her Round of 32 match at the Cincinnati Open against Alexandra Eala, where she was seen drinking a clear beverage that fans initially thought was beer but was later confirmed to be Red Bull. It was speculated that ATP and WTA regulations on commercial products required her to pour the drink into a cup rather than drink from the can.

Anisimova on the memes

During media availability ahead of the S. Open, Anisimova was asked about the memes and fan edits of her on-court reactions. She laughed and said she "can't help it," adding: "I definitely see them. They're very entertaining and very funny. I didn't always think that, because I've definitely always been very expressive, and an emotional player and make all kinds of faces that I didn't even know my face could possibly make."

She recalled being "mortified" at age 17 after seeing photos of her faces during her French Open semifinal run. Anisimova will face Austrian Lilli Tagger in the second round.