LONDON (AP) — 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.
Look at Anisimova 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 2-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."
She will face Iga Swiatek on Saturday for the trophy. The winner will be the eighth consecutive first-time Wimbledon women's champion.
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 Serena Williams won four major trophies in a row a decade ago.
Sabalenka missed Wimbledon last year because of an injured shoulder, then won the U.S. Open in September for her third Slam title.
She was the runner-up to Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January, and to Coco Gauff at the French Open in June, when Sabalenka's post-match comments drew criticism and led her to apologize both private to Gauff and publicly. Sabalenka and Gauff smoothed things over before the start of play at the All England Club, dancing together and posting videos on social media.
"I mean, she's such an incredible competitor," Anisimova said about Sabalenka. "She's an inspiration to me and, I'm sure, so many other people."
Anisimova improved to 6-3 against Sabalenka and was every bit the equal of the 27-year-old Belarusian as two of the hardest hitters in the game traded booming shots and loud yells throughout.
They both smacked big serves — Sabalenka reached 120 mph, Anisimova 112 mph — and groundstrokes. Both looked to end points quickly, frequently applying first-strike aggressiveness.
The average exchange was over after just three shots. By the end, 167 of the 214 total points lasted fewer than five strokes, and just seven contained nine or more.
Probably a good thing, too, given the heat.
The temperature hit 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius) in the first set, which was delayed twice because spectators in the lower level — with no shade — felt unwell. Sabalenka went over to offer water bottles and a blue ice pack that she was using to keep cool during changeovers; Anisimova draped a white, ice-filled towel around her neck while seated on the sideline.
There was a particularly lengthy shout by Sabalenka in the second set, shortly after Anisimova made some noise during another back-and-forth. When the game ended, with Sabalenka making the score 3-all, she let out another scream.
Sabalenka, who double-faulted to end the opening set, pulled even by closing the second set with a 114 mph service winner.
Then she broke to begin the third. Could have been daunting for Anisimova.
Instead, she didn't waver, breaking right back to start a four-game run for a 4-1 lead that soon was 5-2. Only then did some tension arrive anew, as she let her first match point get away at 5-3 with a wide backhand, and soon Sabalenka broke to get within 5-4.
Anisimova stayed right there, and with another break, she had won, then covered her mouth with her right hand.
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
