Amanda Anisimova Shocks World No. 1, Advances to Wimbledon Final

London, England – American tennis player Amanda Anisimova defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to reach The Wimbledon Championships final on Thursday. The match took place on the prestigious Centre Court, where the 23-year-old New Jersey native won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a grueling 2 hours and 37 minutes.

“It’s so incredibly special,” Anisimova said after her victory. She expressed disbelief at her achievement, stating, “this doesn’t feel real right now.” With this win, Anisimova became the youngest American woman to reach the Wimbledon finals since Serena Williams in 2004. Williams last competed in the finals of The Championships in 2019.

Anisimova credited the support from the crowd in her match against Sabalenka. “I know she’s No. 1, but a lot of people were out cheering for me, so I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone,” she said. Reflecting on her journey, she added, “It’s been a year turnaround since coming back, so to be in this spot, it’s not easy.”

Christopher Clarey, a sports writer for The New York Times, highlighted that Anisimova has won 28 consecutive matches after taking the first set. Following her win against Sabalenka, that streak increased to 29 matches. Anisimova will play against either Belinda Bencic or Iga Swiatek in the women’s final on Saturday.

This success matches Anisimova’s previous best Grand Slam result from 2019 when she reached the semifinals at the French Open. As a result of her performance, Anisimova is set to enter the Top 10 of the PIF WTA Rankings for the first time in her career next week.

After taking a break from tennis for mental health from May 2023 to January 2024, Anisimova has made a remarkable comeback. Since returning, she has reached the finals at the Canadian Open, won the ATP Qatar Open in Doha, advanced to the round of 16 at the French Open, and was a finalist at Queen's Club.