Aryna Sabalenka took issue with what she seemed to deem a lack of sportsmanship from Amanda Anisimova on Thursday, as the latter triumphed in their Wimbledon semi-final.
Anisimova fought from behind to get past the world No 1 , 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, reaching the first grand-slam final of her career. As a result, Sabalenka fell to 0-3 in Wimbledon semi-finals.
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And although the Belarusian was gracious in defeat, hugging Anisimova at the net, a third-set incident did appear to rile up Sabalenka.
As Anisimova closed in on victory in the final set, she sealed a hold of serve when one of her shots clipped the net cord and fell on the other side of the net, with Sabalenka scraping at the turf and ball but failing to return it.
Anisimova raised her hands to the sky and looked upwards in celebration, while walking back to her seat for the change of ends. All the while, Sabalenka seemed to glare at the American.
“Why didn’t you say sorry?” the 27-year-old seemed to ask Anisimova, 23, by the umpire’s chair.
Yet when Anisimova wrapped up victory a few games later, the players shared a gracious hug at the net.
“It doesn’t feel right now, honestly,” Anisimova said on court afterwards. “Aryna is such a tough competitor, I was dying out there. She’s an inspiration to me and so many other people.
“We’ve had so many tough battles, to come out on top today is so incredibly special. The atmosphere was incredible today. I know she’s No 1, but a lot of people were cheering for me!
“If you told me I’d be in the final of Wimbledon, I would not have believed you [...] To be in the final is just indescribable, honestly.”
The incident was not the only curious one during the match, as the first set was stopped twice due to two different fans fainting in the east stand. On both occasions, play was paused – for seven minutes, and then for five minutes – and Sabalenka offered her water bottle to the members of the crowd.
Then, in the second women’s semi-final between Iga Swiatek and Belinda Bencic, another fan fainted.
Anisimova, seeded 13th at Wimbledon, actually holds a 6-3 winning record against Sabalenka after Thursday’s result.
And that result carried her into her first grand-slam final, while Sabalenka is a three-time major winner, having won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024, and the US Open in 2024.
