Anisimova stuns Sabalenka to reach Wimbledon final
Anisimova ended Sabalenka's bid for a maiden Wimbledon title with a superb display of hitting in a semifinal played in scorching temperatures on Centre Court.
"This doesn't feel real right now, honestly. Aryna is such a tough competitor and I was absolutely dying out there. I don't know how I pulled it out," Anisimova said after her epic victory in two hours and 36 minutes.
Anisimova is only the second player in the Open era to reach a women's final at a Grand Slam after losing in qualifying at the previous year's event.
"If you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon, I would not believe you. It's indescribable to be honest," she said.
Reaching her first Grand Slam title match was a cathartic moment for Anisimova, who was hailed as a teenage sensation after reaching the 2019 French Open semifinals aged just 17.
She had struggled to live up to the hype after that breakthrough run at Roland Garros, which included a win over defending champion Simona Halep.
Anisimova took an eight-month break from tennis in 2023 after suffering with depression brought on by the scrutiny and expectations that came with being a teen prodigy.
"I was just struggling with the lifestyle and just dealing with a lot of stress from it, and it was affecting me a lot on the court," she said in May.
"I felt like it was just unfair for me to keep pushing and pushing as if I'm not a human being."
Immediately after returning to action last year, Anisimova dropped outside the top 400.
But she won the Qatar Open this February and showed she was comfortable on grass by reaching the Queen's Club final in June.
After reaching her first Wimbledon semifinal, Anisimova was already guaranteed to move into the top 10 in the WTA rankings for the first time next week.
Now she is within touching distance of finally fulfilling her potential with a first Grand Slam crown.
DRAMATIC FINALE
Sabalenka was in the All England Club semifinals for the third time, but once again she fell short of a first final appearance at the All England Club.
It was another painful loss in 2025 for Sabalenka, who has yet to win a Grand Slam this year and let her emotions boil over after losing to Coco Gauff in three sets in the French Open final in June.
Beaten in the Australian and Roland Garros finals since winning the 2024 US Open, Sabalenka failed in her bid to reach a fourth successive Grand Slam title match.
The 27-year-old has now lost six of her nine meetings with Anisimova, who avenged her French Open last 16 defeat to the Belarusian last month.
In a bruising first set, Anisimova crucially saved four break points in the seventh game and moved ahead in the match thanks to a Sabalenka double-fault.
Anisimova's double-fault in the second set handed Sabalenka a 4-3 lead, a present the Belarusian seized to level at one-set all.
Sabalenka looked on course for victory when she broke in the first game of the deciding set, only for Anisimova to break in the next game and again in the fourth.
In a fittingly dramatic finale, Anisimova could not convert a match-point when she served for the match.
But Sabalenka lost her nerve in the next game as Anisimova sealed the biggest win of her life. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times of Oman
12 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Swiatek runs riot to lift her maiden Wimbledon title with double bagel over Anisimova
London: Poland's Iga Swiatek decimated America's Amanda Anisimova in a one-sided final to lift her first Wimbledon title at the All England Club on Saturday, making her a Grand Slam champion on all surfaces. In the final comprehensively dominated by the 24-year-old, Swiatek completed a double bagel with a 6-0, 6-0 win over the American in a contest that lasted for 57 minutes. Swiatek became the first Wimbledon singles champion from Poland in the Open Era. She also celebrated her 100th career Grand Slam match win. At the end of the one-sided final, Swiatek, who maintained her flawless run in the Grand Slam finals, soaked in ecstacy while Anisimova was overwhelmed by tears. Swiatek became the first woman to stand triumphant in all six of her first Grand Slam finals since Monica Seles in 1992. "I'll always remember the sound of champagne bottles popping during serves, it is a sound that will keep me up at night! There's no tournament like this. I was always anxious because of that, because walking around Centre Court felt like huge pressure and a bit too much. But I really enjoyed it this year and improved my game enough to feel comfortable here," Swiatek said after the win, as quoted from Sky Sports. Signs of struggle immediately appeared all over the wall after Anisimova's tame forehand crashed into the net, allowing Swiatek to break the serve in an instant. She struggled to find rhythm and overcooked her backhand shots as Swiatek took control of the entire contest and hardly showed clemency. Swiatek tantalised Anisimova with the depth of her strokes and brute power and cruised to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. Anisimova struggled to calm her dwindling nerves as the Polish star sealed the opening set with a 6-0 win without breaking a sweat. In the second set, the American exuded energy and came out swinging with powerful strokes. She produced a 90mph forehand winner but failed to translate it on the scoreboard. Despite finding a second wind, she faltered against Swiatek's precision and accuracy. Unforced errors continued to haunt Anisimova. After another wild forehand in the second game, her unforced error tally soared to 18. The American continued to miss the mark while Swiatek inched closer towards her maiden Wimbledon title. Anisimova finished with 28 unforced errors as the Polish star produced a lethal backhand winner to complete a double bagel. "You're such an incredible player, it showed today, you've been such an inspiration to me, an unbelievable athlete. You've had an incredible two weeks, getting to your first final here and winning, it's so special, so congratulations to you and your team," Anisimova said after the game. "Thank you to everybody who has supported me, it's been an incredible atmosphere, you guys have carried me through this championship. Even though I ran out of gas a bit today and wish I could put on a better performance, you guys have lifted me up today," she concluded.
Observer
21 hours ago
- Observer
Sinner mauls Djokovic to reach first Wimbledon final
LONDON: Jannik Sinner crushed Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon semi-finals to set up the latest instalment of his gripping rivalry with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's final. The world number one is through to his fourth successive Grand Slam title match — and his first at the All England Club — after a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 demolition on Centre Court on Friday. The 23-year-old will be desperate to avenge his painful French Open defeat against world number two Alcaraz after squandering three championship points in last month's epic Roland Garros final. Sinner and Alcaraz are the undisputed new kings of men's tennis, claiming the past six majors between them. Defeat on a baking Centre Court means seven-time champion Djokovic, who was apparently not 100 per cent fit, must wait for another shot at a record 25th Grand Slam title. It is the first time he has failed to reach the Wimbledon final since 2017 and he has come up short in his bid to equal Roger Federer's men's record of eight Wimbledon titles. "It's a tournament I always watched when I was young on the television and I would have never imagined that I can play here, you know in the finals, so it was amazing," said Sinner. "From my side, I served very well today, I felt great on court, I was moving really well today. "We saw in the third set that he was a bit injured. He's been in a very difficult situation but I tried to stay calm, to play the best tennis I can." Italy's Sinner was still wearing a white protective sleeve after injuring his elbow in a nasty fall against Grigor Dimitrov in his fourth-round match. Djokovic also came into the contest, watched by Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, with questions over his fitness after tumbling to the turf late in his quarter-final victory against Flavio Cobolli. Top seed Sinner broke Djokovic in the third game, unleashing a barrage of relentlessly accurate groundstrokes to wear the sixth seed down. The Serb, 38, wilted under the onslaught in the ninth game as Sinner converted his third set point. Sinner did not let up at the start of the second set, breaking for a 2-0 lead to tighten his grip on the match. DJOKOVIC STRUGGLES Djokovic was struggling to gain a foothold but held for 3-1 to roars from the crowd, desperate to witness a classic battle. Chants of "Nole" rang around the stadium as fans tried to lift Djokovic but he was powerless to prevent Sinner opening up a 5-2 lead. He saved a set point on his own serve but that merely delayed the inevitable as Sinner wrapped up the set with only 69 minutes on the clock. Djokovic received treatment from the trainer between sets on the upper part of his left leg, apparently on the area he hurt in the match against Cobolli. He broke for the first time in the match as he suddenly found a new gear, but was pegged back to 3-2 and roared in frustration at the changeover. Struggling physically, Djokovic was broken again as Sinner sealed victory with his fourth match point. Sinner, the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion, returned from a doping ban in May, losing the Italian Open final to Alcaraz before his collapse in the Roland Garros showpiece. Now he has chance for revenge against the man who has won the past two Wimbledon titles and is the current top dog on grass. "It is a huge honour for me to share the court once again with Carlos," he said. "We try to push ourselves to the limit, he is for sure one of the players I look up to. "I love watching him, I think you all guys agree on that, what kind of talent he is but hopefully it's going to be a good match like the last one." Sinner trails 8-4 in their head to head meetings, losing the past five matches. The Italian can take heart from beating Alcaraz in the Wimbledon fourth round in 2022, his rival's last defeat at the All England Club. — AFP
Observer
21 hours ago
- Observer
Swiatek destroys Anisimova to win first Wimbledon title
LONDON: Iga Swiatek demolished Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the most one-sided women's Wimbledon final for 114 years to win her sixth Grand Slam title on Saturday. The Polish eighth seed, who has now won all six major finals in which she has competed, was in charge from the first point and wrapped up victory in just 57 minutes. It is the first time a woman has won a final at Wimbledon without dropping a game since 1911. And Swiatek, 24, is just the second player in the Open era to win a major title without losing a game in the final after Steffi Graf beat Natalia Zvereva at the 1988 French Open. "It seems super surreal," said Swiatek, who is the first Wimbledon singles champion from Poland in the Open era. "I didn't even dream, for me it was way too far. I feel like I am already an experienced player after winning the Slams before but I never expected this one. "This year I really, really enjoyed it and feel I improved my form here. "I am always going to remember the opening of champagne bottles between serves. It is a sound that will keep me awake at night." Swiatek, who reached the final of the grass-court tournament at Bad Homburg two weeks ago, has looked increasingly strong while the top seeds tumbled at the All England Club. She lost just one set in her run to the final. Winner Poland's Iga Swiatek poses with the trophy alongside runner-up Amanda Anisimova of the US after the women's singles final. — Reuters US 13th seed Anisimova was expected to prove a stern test after ousting world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals, but Swiatek performed a brutal demolition job. Anisimova made a nervous start in hot conditions on Centre Court, with Catherine, Princess of Wales, watching from the Royal Box. She was broken in the first game, soon slipping 2-0 behind and the signs looked ominous. The American appeared to have found her feet in her next service game but the merciless Swiatek refused to give ground and recovered to move 3-0 ahead when Anisimova double-faulted. At 4-0 down Anisimova was facing a first-set wipe-out but she was powerless to halt the rampant Swiatek, who sealed the first set 6-0 in just 25 minutes. The American won just six points on her serve in the first set and committed 14 unforced errors. An increasingly desperate Anisimova could not stem the tide in the second set, double-faulting again in the third game to give her opponent game point and then netting a backhand. The crowd got behind her but to no avail as Swiatek kept up her level, serving out to win and celebrating before consoling her devastated opponent. Swiatek is Wimbledon's eighth consecutive first-time women's champion since Serena Williams won her seventh and final title at the All England Club in 2016. The distraught Anisimova left court briefly before returning for the trophy presentation. She broke down in tears again during her speech on court. "You're such an incredible player and it obviously showed today," she said, addressing Swiatek. "You've been such an inspiration to me. You've had such an incredible two weeks here. Getting to your first Wimbledon final here and winning is so special." — AFP
