A little more than two years ago, Amanda Anisimova walked away from tennis, worn down by burnout. Last summer, she didn’t even make it into the Wimbledon main draw after falling in qualifying. Now, she’s one match away from a Grand Slam title.
On a hot and dramatic Thursday at Centre Court, the 13th-seeded Anisimova stunned world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to secure her first Grand Slam final berth at Wimbledon. The American, who was born in New Jersey and raised in Florida, will face Poland’s Iga Swiatek on Saturday for the championship.
At just 23 years old, Anisimova becomes the latest fresh face in a tournament that has produced seven consecutive first-time women’s champions. Should she win, she would become the first American woman to capture the Wimbledon title since Serena Williams in 2016.
Swiatek, meanwhile, advanced in commanding fashion, dispatching Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-0 in just over an hour. The four-time major winner opened as a -230 favorite for the final, with Anisimova listed at +165, per ESPN BET odds.
Anisimova and Swiatek have never met on the professional stage, though Swiatek won their lone junior encounter in the 2016 Junior Fed Cup, 6-4, 6-2. The stakes are now exponentially higher, with the Wimbledon crown and a place in tennis history on the line.
For Anisimova, Thursday’s victory was the culmination of a patient return to form after stepping away from the sport in 2023. Playing in only her second major semifinal — the first coming as a 17-year-old at the 2019 French Open — she matched Sabalenka shot for shot in a blistering baseline battle.
Both women unleashed fierce serves — Sabalenka topping out at 120 mph, Anisimova at 112 mph — and heavy groundstrokes that kept points short and explosive. Of the 214 points played, 167 ended in fewer than five shots, underscoring the aggressive, first-strike nature of the contest.
Despite the heat, which soared to 88°F (31°C) and led to two delays when fans seated courtside began feeling unwell, Anisimova kept her composure. Sabalenka showed sportsmanship by offering water and ice packs to spectators, while Anisimova cooled down with an ice-filled towel during changeovers.
The American ultimately improved her career head-to-head against Sabalenka to 6-3, delivering clutch serving and fearless shotmaking in the final set to close out the match.
For Sabalenka, the loss was doubly painful: it ended her bid to become the first woman since Serena Williams a decade ago to reach four consecutive major finals. The 27-year-old Belarusian, who missed last year’s Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury before winning the US Open, had been runner-up at this year’s Australian Open (to Madison Keys) and French Open (to Coco Gauff).
Notably, Sabalenka and Gauff appeared to mend fences at the start of Wimbledon, posting videos of themselves dancing after Sabalenka’s controversial comments following the French Open loss.
Swiatek, who had the third-shortest odds to win Wimbledon at the start of the tournament (+650), has been in imperious form. Against Bencic, her clean ball-striking and particularly her backhand proved too much for the Swiss star. The win ensures that Swiatek will break into the top 10 of the WTA rankings for the first time next week, regardless of Saturday’s result.
As Saturday approaches, history beckons for both finalists: Anisimova seeks to complete an improbable comeback story, while Swiatek looks to add the sport’s most prestigious title to her growing collection.
Either way, Wimbledon will crown an eighth consecutive first-time women’s champion — a testament to the ever-evolving landscape of the women’s game.
