Amanda Anisimova is relishing the prospect of her first Grand Slam final and promised to “make it a battle” after she held her nerve in a tense contest to defeat top seed and world No 1, Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
In a match that featured two pauses to deal with health emergencies in the stands and where spectators were abandoning their seats due to the lunchtime heat, the play on court largely failed to catch fire. It was a duel of many errors, many disputed line calls and only sporadic outbursts of consistent play. But there could be no doubting Anisimova’s durability or her cool in the 30C weather. Sabalenka, meanwhile, was often to be found howling into the summer air.
“I feel amazing”, Anisimova said, reflecting on her victory. “I mean, it’s so exciting to be in the final here. I think I still can’t believe it in a way. [Sabalenka] is such a tough player. I knew that I had to really dig deep and make as little mistakes as possible. I feel like we really fought out there today. The conditions weren’t easy.”
The 23-year-old will now meet the eighth seed, Iga Swiatek, in the final, a first encounter since they met as juniors. “Iga is such an unbelievable player, but she’s also been an inspiration to me”, Anisimova said. “Hopefully I can bring some high quality tennis and make it a battle out there. I’m going to go out and enjoy every moment and try to not think about what’s on the line.”
Anisimova was the braver player on the day and in a contest of 79 unforced errors, it was less about the mistakes that were made than the moments of opportunity that were seized, and by that metric too the American, born in New Jersey to Russian émigré parents, came out on top.
At 5-4 in the first set and the match going with serve, Anisimova stepped up to take the play to Sabalenka. Forcing deuce with a series of powerful returns, she moved further into the court and the Belarusian buckled. A great backhand forced an error for advantage, and with the pressure at its most acute, Sabalenka could only serve a double fault.
While Sabalenka had drawn applause from the crowd for helping those suffering from the sun with water from her bench, on court she too was struggling. Her serve was not the reliable weapon she is used to and her returning poor.
“My returns were much worse compared to the matches before,” she said. In the second set, however, she did at least find enough poise to take the key moments in her direction, breaking serve at 5-4 to then win the set in what was the best game of the match.
When she did what resurgent champions often do, and broke again immediately, the outcome of this match appeared to be heading only one way. But Anisimova was not about to be brushed aside.
She broke back immediately, then did so again at 2-1. At 5-3 Sabalenka found the groove for another brief period and broke back. But the American’s will remained redoubtable. She raced to 40-0 up on Sabalenka’s next service game and, after sacrificing her second and third match points of the contest, found the forehand to decide things on the fourth. It raced beyond Sabalenka and off into the sidings to decide the biggest victory of her career. She stood in the centre of the court, hand covering her mouth in shock.
Anisimova took a seven month mental health break from the sport in 2023 and used the moment of victory to reflect on what it had taught her. “When I took my break, a lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game,” she said. “That was a little hard to digest because I did want to come back and still achieve a lot and win a Grand Slam one day. I think it goes to show that it is possible. Just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself. That’s been incredibly special to me.”
