Anisimova stuns Sabalenka to reach Wimbledon final
Just over two years after stepping away from tennis due to burnout, Amanda Anisimova has completed a remarkable comeback by reaching her first Grand Slam final.
On Thursday, the American pulled off a major upset at Wimbledon, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a gripping semifinal played on a sweltering Centre Court, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.
The 13th-seeded Anisimova, who was born in New Jersey and grew up in Florida, was playing in her second major semifinal after losing at that stage at the 2019 French Open at age 17.
"This doesn't feel real right now," Anisimova said after ending the two-hour, 36-minute contest with a forehand winner on her fourth match point. "I was absolutely dying out there. I don't know how I pulled it out."
She will face either Iga Swiatek or Belinda Bencic on Saturday for the trophy. The winner will be the eighth consecutive first-time Wimbledon women's champion. Anisimova will try to become the first American woman to win Wimbledon since Serena Williams in 2016, according to ESPN Research. American women have lost their past three Wimbledon finals.
In May 2023, Anisimova took time off from the tour, saying she had been "struggling with my mental health" for nearly a year.
Now 23, she is playing as well as ever, her crisp groundstrokes, particularly on the backhand side, as strong and smooth as anyone's. She is guaranteed to break into the top 10 of the WTA rankings for the first time next week, no matter what happens in the title match.
"To be honest, if you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon, I would not believe you," Anisimova said with a laugh. "At least not this soon, because it's been a year turnaround since coming back and to be in this spot, it's not easy. So many people dream of competing on this incredible court. It's been such a privilege to compete here, and to be in the final is just indescribable, honestly."
For Sabalenka, who replaced Swiatek at No. 1 in October, this defeat prevented her from becoming the first woman to reach four consecutive Grand Slam finals since Williams won four major trophies in a row a decade ago.
Sabalenka missed Wimbledon last year because of an injured shoulder, then won the US Open in September for her third Slam title.
She was the runner-up to Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January, and to Coco Gauff at the French Open in June, when Sabalenka's postmatch comments drew criticism and led her to apologize both private to Gauff and publicly. Sabalenka and Gauff smoothed things over before the start of play at the All England Club, dancing together and posting videos on social media.
"I mean, she's such an incredible competitor," Anisimova said about Sabalenka. "She's an inspiration to me and, I'm sure, so many other people."
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