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Amanda Anisimova Sends a Powerful Message to Doubters After Wimbledon Final Berth

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Fahad Hamid | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 7:25 PM ET

Amanda Anisimova reached her first Wimbledon final just two years after stepping away from tennis for her mental health. The 13th seed shocked World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory in a fierce semi-final battle on Centre Court. She now prepares to face five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in Saturday’s title match.

Anisimova rose to fame after reaching the 2019 French Open semifinals at just 17, defeating defending champion Simona Halep along the way. But the pressure that followed proved difficult. In 2023, she took a break from tennis due to depression, triggered by the intense expectations placed on her as a teen prodigy. Anisimova said in her post-match press conference:

With that, I showed everyone that it was possible. It’s a special message because many people told me that I would never return to the Top after the time off I took. That was hard for me to digest because I was thinking about coming back and winning Grand Slams someday. Proving to everyone that you can reach the Top and prioritize yourself is tremendously special to me. It means a lot.

Many doubted her comeback, warning that time away could end her chances at the top. She dropped outside the top 400 after her return. However, her form quickly returned. She won the Qatar Open earlier this year and made the final at Queen’s Club in June, proving her strength on grass.

Her Wimbledon breakthrough not only puts her in the Grand Slam final but also lifts her into the WTA top 10 for the first time. She’s now just one match away from her maiden major title. Anisimova becomes only the second woman in the Open Era to reach a Slam final after falling in qualifying the previous year. Though she hasn’t faced Swiatek at the pro level, they met once in juniors, with Swiatek winning. Still, Anisimova looks forward to this long-awaited showdown.

Amanda Anisimova reaches first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon

On a hot day at Wimbledon, No. 13 seed Amanda Anisimova stayed composed to secure the biggest win of her career. She defeated top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 37 minutes. With this result, Anisimova reached her first Grand Slam final and claimed her first victory over a reigning World No. 1.

This was her sixth win against a Top 5 player and her fourth over Sabalenka. She now leads their head-to-head 6-3, with victories on all surfaces. Anisimova has been in strong form on grass, holding a 12-2 record this season. She reached the final at Queen’s Club and made the quarterfinals in Berlin ahead of Wimbledon.

At 23, Anisimova is the first player born in the 2000s to reach the Wimbledon women’s final. Just hours later, Iga Swiatek became the second after a dominant win over Belinda Bencic. Anisimova is also the seventh player born in the 21st century to reach a Grand Slam final, joining Andreescu, Raducanu, Fernandez, Gauff, Zheng, and Swiatek.

Although both Anisimova and Swiatek were born in 2001, they have never faced each other on the professional tour. Their only meeting was in juniors, where Swiatek won in straight sets at the 2016 Junior Billie Jean King Cup. Their Wimbledon showdown will mark the 10th Grand Slam final in the Open Era between players born in the same year—and the second straight at Wimbledon to feature such a matchup.

Amanda Anisimova set for major ranking boost

American star Amanda Anisimova booked her spot in her first Wimbledon final after a thrilling victory over World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Centre Court. The American, ranked No. 12, came through with a hard-fought 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win in two hours and 37 minutes to reach her first Grand Slam final.

Anisimova held firm under pressure in the opening set, saving four break points at 3-3. She then broke Sabalenka while the top seed was serving to stay in the set. Sabalenka bounced back in the second, breaking in the seventh game to level the match and shift momentum.

The final set started in Sabalenka’s favor as she broke right away. But Anisimova stormed back, winning four straight games to take control. Serving for the match at 5-3, she was broken after missing a match point. Still, she regrouped and sealed the win on her fourth match point in the next game.

This run marks a major milestone in Anisimova’s career. She becomes only the second woman in the Open Era to reach a Slam final after losing in qualifying the year before, matching Bianca Andreescu’s 2019 US Open feat. With her Wimbledon performance, Anisimova climbs five places to No. 7 in the live WTA rankings—her first time breaking into the top 10.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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