13th-Seeded American Anisimova Authors Upset of #1 Sabalenka

This year's iteration of Wimbledon has had it all.

Upsets, storylines, heartbreak, triumph, and more.

That didn't change on Thursday morning, as a 23-year-old American danced into the final of any major for the first time in her career.

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It all came at the expense of the sports top star, Aryna Sabalenka:

WIMBLEDON, England -- A little more than two years ago, Amanda Anisimova took a break from tennis because of burnout. A year ago, working her way back into the game, the American tried to qualify for Wimbledon but lost and was unable to participate in the main bracket at the All England Club.

Now she's a Grand Slam finalist for the first time after upsetting No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a compelling contest at a steamy Centre Court on Thursday.

The 13th-seeded Anisimova, who was born in New Jersey and grew up in Florida, was playing in her second major semifinal after losing at that stage at the 2019 French Open at age 17.

"This doesn't feel real right now," Anisimova said after ending the two-hour, 36-minute contest with a forehand winner on her fourth match point. "I was absolutely dying out there. I don't know how I pulled it out."

On Saturday, she will face Iga Swiatek, who defeated Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-0 in the other semifinal Thursday, for the trophy. The winner will be the eighth consecutive first-time Wimbledon women's champion. Anisimova will try to become the first American woman to win Wimbledon since Serena Williams in 2016. American women have lost their past three Wimbledon finals.

Swiatek opened as a -230 favorite for the final, while Anisimova was +165, according to ESPN BET odds. Swiatek had the third-shortest odds (+650) to win Wimbledon at the start and has attracted 11.6% of the money. Anisimova, who was +2000 coming into Wimbledon, holds just 5.8% of the handle to win the tournament. Sabalenka was ESPN BET's most-bet woman at 34%.

Anisimova and Swiatek have never played professionally but they did play as juniors in 2016 in the Junior Fed Cup when Poland faced the United States. Swiatek won their singles match 6-4, 6-2, according to ESPN Research.

"She can play amazing tennis, and she loves fast surfaces, because she has a flat game," Swiatek said about Anisimova. "So, you have to be ready for fast shots, for her being proactive. But I'm just going to kind of focus on myself."

In May 2023, Anisimova took time off from the tour, saying she had been "struggling with my mental health" for nearly a year.

Now 23, she is playing as well as ever, her crisp groundstrokes, particularly on the backhand side, as strong and smooth as anyone's. She is guaranteed to break into the top 10 of the WTA rankings for the first time next week no matter what happens in the title match.

"To be honest, if you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon, I would not believe you," Anisimova said with a laugh. "At least not this soon, because it's been a year turnaround since coming back and to be in this spot, it's not easy. So many people dream of competing on this incredible court. It's been such a privilege to compete here, and to be in the final is just indescribable, honestly."

For Sabalenka, who replaced Swiatek at No. 1 in October, this defeat prevented her from becoming the first woman to reach four consecutive Grand Slam finals since Williams won four major trophies in a row a decade ago.

Source: ESPN.com