Emma Raducanu was accused of cheating vs Amanda Anisimova before middle finger warning

A resurgent Emma Raducanu will face a familiar threat as she takes on Amanda Anisimova in the third round of the Canadian Open. The Briton has been blazing a trail in Montreal and is yet to drop a set thus far in the competition, most recently beating Payton Stearns to advance.

The same can be said for Wimbledon runner-up Anisimova, though she only entered in the second round of the tournament. And that may grant the American a vital edge as she looks to beat Raducanu for the first time. The pair are known to be friendly with one another off the court and have already faced one another twice in 2025. Raducanu has triumphed in each of those clashes to date, first winning at the Australian Open in January before doubling the deficit at the Miami Open in March. It was during the former that Raducanu incurred the wrath of Anisimova's fans and was even dubbed a cheat for her actions. She trailed 3-0 in the first set when she requested a medical timeout to receive treatment on a lower back issue.

The former US Open champion, who recently returned to the top of the British rankings, proceeded to win six games without a response, at least not from Anisimova herself. The same couldn't be said for her supporters, many of whom flocked to social media to suggest Raducanu was disingenuous and called for the break merely to stop her opponent's momentum.

One critic railed on X: "She's a cheater!! Running around winning three games after a MTO on a hip? Please!!! Faker." And another commented: "This is flat out cheating by the way."

Raducanu and Anisimova next met in Miami two months later, a contest which ended 6-1, 6-3 after a much more dominant display. The Anisimova that had her on the ropes in Melbourne earlier in the calendar failed to show in The Sunshine State as a one-sided performance unfolded.

Sky Sports commentator Croft said at the time: "She is all over the place. That sigh says it all. Fed up out here. Not enjoying this. She's being humiliated."

Anisimova required a medical timeout during that match to receive treatment on the same wrist and hand issues that had plagued her earlier in the tournament. And it was during her third-round win over 11th seed Mirra Andreeva that more controversy ensued.

The American was serving at 3-1 down in the deciding third set when she called for a timeout to treat a blister on her middle finger. Russian Andreeva, 18, saw her protests waved away by the umpire at the time, especially considering she had herself taken a medical timeout for a stomach issue earlier in the match.

Anisimova later posted a photo on Instagram of her blistered right middle finger being held up while her others were held down, serving not only as a pointed message to Andreeva, but also as a warning to Raducanu to not get on her bad side. She captioned the image by mocking Andreeva's comment: "'We all know why' at 3-1 up was a good one coming from the 1-2 first set medical."

Indeed, Anisimova agreed Andreeva's early stoppage interrupted her flow early on in the match. So while they might be friends for now, Raducanu may be wary of when she calls for a break when the pair face off on Friday in Montreal, with the match set for just after 1am on Saturday morning UK time.