Tennis News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Iga Swiatek described as 'malfunctioning computer' after Anisimova loss

Originally posted on TennisUpToDate.com | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 2:13 PM ET

Amanda Anisimova produced one of the performances of her career to knock out world No.1 Iga Swiatek at the 2025 US Open, marking her 36th win of the season — her highest tally yet. The American, still only 24, bounced back from the trauma of her Wimbledon defeat to the Pole just weeks earlier, showing resilience and composure on the biggest stage in tennis.

Former players Laura Robson and Marion Bartoli reflected on the match speaking on Sky Sports, praising Anisimova’s mental strength, tactical clarity and the electric support of the New York crowd as well as being puzzled by Iga Swiatek's end to her US Open campaign.

Laura Robson admitted she was struck by the difference in Anisimova’s approach compared to her Wimbledon loss. “With Amanda, it’s just everything she’s been through,” Robson said. “From losing her father as a teenager, being seen as this great hope, taking a break for mental health reasons and then coming back… it’s a lot for someone who’s only 24. It feels like she’s lived several lifetimes already.”

“So few players could respond the way she did today. At Wimbledon she looked crushed. But today she had a totally different approach. It was the same game style in many ways, but she was loose enough and relaxed enough to play the tennis she probably wanted to a few weeks ago.”

Swiatek, Robson observed 'wasn’t ready for it'. She rushed herself, kept looking up at her player box like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on.’ Tactically, she wasn’t at her best either. She went way too much to Anisimova’s backhand, which has been lethal all tournament. Amanda was cracking winners down the line all day.”

“Swiatek like a malfunctioning computer”

Presenter Gigi Salmon felt the Pole struggled to adapt. “When it’s not going her way against the big hitters, she becomes a bit like a malfunctioning computer — she doesn’t know what to do.

Robson continued adding to that point: "On the serve, for example, her kick serve kept going into Amanda’s backhand. It wasn’t until midway through the second set that she even hit one to the forehand. You wonder tactically what she was trying to achieve.”

The key, Robson said, was Anisimova’s improvement in movement and mentality. “She was ready to fight in those rallies. There were moments on a knife edge — at 40–30 in the second set, if Iga had forced deuce the match might have turned. But Amanda got a lucky net cord earlier and from then she had the confidence to close it out. That’s her 36th win this year — the most she’s ever had.”

Building back belief

After her break from the sport, Anisimova returned at the 2024 Australian Open. Robson pointed out that the progress has been gradual but steady.

“At first it was just about getting fit enough to live the tour life again,” she said. “Now she’s built a full season, and with it the confidence to believe. And now she has a massive win over the in-form player of the tournament.”

Robson even confessed to being happily proven wrong: “I picked Iga to win this tournament. I’ll hold my hand up — very wrong. But I’m happy to be wrong when it means watching someone like Amanda come out of her shell and fight through such a difficult period. Today was world-class.”

Bartoli: contrasting boxes

For Marion Bartoli, the energy in the player boxes told its own story. “The vibe was completely different,” she said. “Anisimova’s box was so positive — always encouraging, even when she missed, they reassured her. On Iga’s side, I don’t speak Polish so I can’t judge the words, but the tone was aggressive. Lots of shouting.

“That only adds to the stress when your player is already struggling. The contrast was stark — Amanda’s team gave her comfort, Iga’s team probably piled more pressure on. And then, of course, you have the whole stadium against you on top of that. It was a lot for Iga to carry.”

“Outrageous ball striking”

Bartoli was particularly impressed with the level of Anisimova’s shot-making. “The ball striking was outrageous,” she said. “The stats were incredible — people often assume men’s tennis is harder hitting, but today Amanda was hitting harder, more consistently, than Félix Auger-Aliassime was in his match.”

She also praised Anisimova’s mentality after dropping serve in the opening game: “You’re thinking, ‘Oh no, just get on the board.’ But I never saw a single doubt in her. After what happened at Wimbledon, that’s extraordinary. She was fist-pumping herself before points, talking to herself, staying locked in.

“When you face someone who humiliated you weeks earlier, it’s so easy to collapse if things go wrong early. Instead, she stayed motivated and played fearless tennis on the biggest court in the world.”

Crowd lifts Anisimova

For Robson, the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd played a crucial role. “When she broke back for 1–1 in the first set, the place erupted. That released the tension and the crowd got behind her from that moment on,” she said. “Everyone remembered what she went through at Wimbledon, and her speech afterwards was so raw and vulnerable that people connected with her. Towards the end it was deafening. I even went and sat next to Tim in the stadium just to soak up the atmosphere. Every person was shouting, ‘Let’s go Amanda! Come on Amanda!’

“That has to relax you, knowing the crowd has your back. Even in the presidential box — where normally etiquette is to stay neutral — they were fist-pumping and high-fiving.”

Spotlight on American women

With Anisimova and another home hope still in the draw, Robson concluded that women’s tennis had seized the spotlight at Flushing Meadows. “They don’t have an American man left,” she said, “but they do have two American women into the semifinals. It’s women’s tennis absolutely in the spotlight.”

This article first appeared on TennisUpToDate.com and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: