New Jersey’s own Amanda Anisimova is back on tennis’ biggest stage.
The Freehold Township native defeated Naomi Osaka in a grueling three-set semifinal at the U.S. Open, setting up a championship match with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
23-year-old Anisimova needed nearly three hours to complete the win, which concluded after 1 a.m.. She dropped the first set in a tiebreak but steadied her game in the following sets, punishing Osaka’s second serves and controlling baseline rallies. She collapsed to her knees after closing out the 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 victory.
The win comes less than two months after Anisimova’s loss to Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final, where she failed to win a single game. At the U.S. Open, she turned the tables, defeating Swiatek in the quarterfinals before going on to beat Osaka in the semis.
This will be Anisimova’s first appearance in the U.S. Open final. It is also her second Grand Slam final in as many months. She first went pro as a teenager.
She now faces Sabalenka, ranked first in the world, who rallied to beat Jessica Pegula in her semifinal. Anisimova enters as the underdog, but her return to form has made her one of the tournament’s defining stories.
“It means the world to me,” Anisimova said after the match. “This has been a dream of mine to become the champion.”
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