Amanda Anisimova stormed into her first-ever Grand Slam final with a stunning 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon. The 23-year-old American, seeded 13th, held her nerve in a gripping semifinal on Centre Court, handing Sabalenka yet another heartbreaking exit at this stage of the tournament.
The defeat marked Sabalenka’s third Wimbledon semifinal exit, following losses to Karolina Pliskova in 2021 and Ons Jabeur in 2023. In 2025, it was Anisimova who halted her charge, extending her head-to-head dominance over Sabalenka to 6-3.
Anisimova joins elite company
With this milestone, Anisimova becomes the youngest American woman to reach the Wimbledon singles final since Serena Williams in 2004. Back then, Serena was stopped by Maria Sharapova — now, two decades later, Anisimova has the chance to go a step further.
The win caps a remarkable comeback for the Florida-born star, who made her Grand Slam breakthrough as a 17-year-old French Open semifinalist in 2019. Six years later, she’s one win away from her first major title.
The opening set saw a tightly contested battle, but Sabalenka failed to seize the moment. She had four break points in the ninth game, all of which Anisimova saved with clutch serving. The American immediately broke Sabalenka in the following game and sealed the set, riding her momentum and an impressive 82% first-serve win rate — a stark contrast to Sabalenka’s 65%.
Sabalenka strikes back in the second
Refusing to go down quietly, Sabalenka stormed back in the second set. She improved her first-serve percentage to 84% and despite squandering four set points on Anisimova’s serve, eventually held firm to take the set 6-4, reigniting hopes of reaching a second major final after her 2024 Australian Open triumph.
The decider began in Sabalenka’s favour as she broke early, but Anisimova responded immediately. A second break in the fifth game saw her surge ahead 4-1. Sabalenka had two break points at 40-15 in the fourth game but couldn’t convert, and those missed opportunities would come back to haunt her.
Serving for the match at 5-4, Anisimova faltered initially, allowing Sabalenka to save a match point and break back. But with three more match points at 40-15 in the tenth game, Anisimova made no mistake on the third, collapsing to the grass in joy after sealing the biggest win of her career.
Eyes on the final showdown
Anisimova now awaits the winner of the other semifinal between five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek and Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic. No matter who emerges, the final promises to be a thrilling culmination to a dramatic fortnight at Wimbledon.