Just two months after reaching her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, Amanda Anisimova proved it was no fluke.
The American rallied from a set down to defeat four-time major champion Naomi Osaka 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3, in just under three hours to reach her second Grand Slam final of the season.
US Open: Draws | Scores | Order of Play
With the win, Anisimova became the first player to beat Osaka in a major semifinal.
“Naomi is playing amazing tennis,” Anisimova said after the match. “She’s back where she belongs, and I told her I’m so proud of her. After having a baby, to be playing at this level — it’s insane. She was really giving me a run for the final, and I wasn’t sure I’d make it past the finish line.
“This tournament means so much to me, and I think that was really getting to me. In the end, I was just trying to fight my way through and enjoy the moment. We were both playing some amazing tennis, and sometimes I was like, ‘How are we making these shots?’ But we were — and we just kept going.”
Anisimova will face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s final — a rematch of their Wimbledon semifinal, where the 24-year-old pulled off a stunning upset earlier this summer.
She’ll be the third different American woman to face Sabalenka in a Grand Slam final this season, following Madison Keys at the Australian Open and Coco Gauff at the French Open.
With Anisimova reaching the final at both Wimbledon and the US Open, it marks the first time since 2002 that at least one American woman has appeared in all four major finals in a single calendar year.
Although the semifinal between Anisimova and Osaka didn’t conclude until early Friday morning, it began Thursday night under a closed roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The crowd was evenly split, with half cheering for the American on home soil and the other half backing the ever-popular Osaka.
Osaka rewarded her supporters immediately, breaking Anisimova in the opening game and setting the stage for a back-and-forth battle.
After Osaka jumped out to a 2-0 lead, Anisimova won nine of the next 10 points, following a hold with a break to level the set at 2-2. Osaka responded with another break in the next game, but Anisimova answered with a rocket forehand winner to level it at 5-all.
In the tiebreak, Osaka reeled off six straight points to take a 6-1 lead and closed it out 7-4.
The second set followed a similar pattern. Anisimova broke to open; Osaka broke back. Anisimova broke for a 3-2 lead, Osaka broke back. Anisimova broke again — and Osaka broke back once more.
But in the second-set tiebreak, Anisimova seized control and never looked back, winning the first four points, and five of the first six, en route to leveling the match.
She broke for a 3-1 lead in the final set — her sixth break of the match — and served it out from there. After letting two match points slip away, Anisimova saved two break points while serving for the match before sealing the victory.
Osaka fell to 47-3 in Grand Slam matches on hard courts after winning the first set. Two of those losses have come against Anisimova, who finished the match with an even 50 winners.
Now, Anisimova turns her focus to another multi-time Grand Slam champion.
She holds a 6-3 record against Sabalenka at the WTA level, including wins in their most recent meeting overall (Wimbledon semifinal) and on hard courts (Toronto 2024).
A seventh win against Sabalenka would mean a maiden Grand Slam title for Anisimova.
“It’s a dream come true,” Anisimova said. “This has been a dream of mine forever — to be in the US Open final. Obviously, the hope is to be the champion…”
She paused to take in the moment before looking ahead.
“But I mean, I’m in the final now, and I’m going to try to get ready. I’m just excited — it’s really special.”
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