LONDON: Amanda Anisimova has become the youngest American woman to reach a Wimbledon final since Serena Williams in 2004 after producing an upset win over Aryna Sabalenka.
Anisimova, who was playing in her first major semi-final since the 2019 French Open, pulled off a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, victory over the Belarusian in what is her first win over a world No.1 player on the Tour. The triumph comes just 12 months after the American failed to qualify for the main draw at The All England Club, and in 2023, she didn’t play due to taking a break from the sport for mental health reasons.
Playing in the London heat for more than two and a half hours with temperatures reaching almost 30 °C, the 23-year-old held her nerve during the roller-coaster battle, which featured seven breaks of serve. Overall, she produced 30 winners, as well as 42 unforced errors, and won 60% of her service points.
“To be honest, if you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon, I would not believe you,” she said during her on-court interview.
“Especially not this soon. It’s been a year’s turnaround. So many dream of competing on this court. To be in the final is just indescribable, honestly.”
Despite the difference in ranking, Anisimova has been an Achilles heel for Sabalenka in the past, having beaten her on five occasions. Something she has only managed to achieve over one other player, Daria Kasatkina. Once again, the top seed was under pressure during a tense opening set on Centre Court, with both players having their chances to nudge ahead. During the fifth game, Anisimova had two break point chances but failed to convert. Then in the following game, it was Sabalenka’s turn who missed four opportunities.
Eventually, it was the lower-ranked player who prevailed in the opener after 56 minutes. Leading 5-4, Anisimova saw her first set point chance come and go due to a 109 mph Sabalenka serve. However, she had better success on her second chance after the three-time Grand Slam winner produced a costly double fault.
Coincidentally, it was a double fault that also proved pivotal in the second frame, but it was the other way round. An error from Anisimova granted Sabalenka a break for 4-3. Two games later, the top seed had a quartet of set points but failed to convert. Later in the set, she worked her way to a fifth, which she managed to convert with a 114mph serve and forced proceedings into a decider.
It looked as if Sabalenka was going to turn the match around by breaking to love at the start of the third set. However, she then went on to lose four games in a row. Closing in on a milestone win, Anisimova failed to convert her first match point at 5-3 after hitting a shot wide. Then, when leading 5-4, two more opportunities came and went before she finally sealed victory with a forehand winner.
“This doesn’t feel real right now,” said Anisimova. “Aryna is such a tough competitor. I was dying out there.
“She’s such an incredible competitor, such an inspiration to me and so many other players. We had so many tough battles and to come on top today to get into the final at Wimbledon is incredibly special.”
Anisimova is the first player in the Open Era to have reached a Wimbledon final a year after losing in the qualifying rounds. She is also the third player to have beaten Sabalenka on three different surfaces after Kiki Bertens and Marketa Vondrousova.
