Amanda Anisimova seals ‘super special’ Wimbledon win as she books blockbuster semi-final
Amanda Anisimova paid a touching tribute to her family after sealing a “super special” win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to reach her first Wimbledon semi-final.
In a nerve-wracking ending on Court One, the 13th seed Anisimova held firm to close out a 6-1, 7-6(9) triumph over her unseeded rival, falling to the ground in celebration after sealing victory.
Anisimova had dominated the match early on and surged to a 6-1, 5-2 lead, only to fail to serve out the match at 5-3 up, and then miss two match points on return at 5-4.
The American was 3-6 down in the tiebreak and ultimately saved five set points to close out the match, reaching her first major semi-final in six years.
“It was such a battle today,” said Anisimova, 23, in her on-court interview afterwards.
“I was up there in the second set and she [Pavlyuchenkova] started to play some unreal tennis. I just kept fighting.
“The tiebreak was super stressful, but I’m just so happy I got it done and I’m super excited to be in the semi-final for the first time. It’s super special.”
After falling in the quarter-final stage back in 2022, Anisimova is now the first US woman to reach the semi-final of Wimbledon since Serena Williams in 2019.
It is her second Grand Slam semi-final overall, having previously progressed to the last four of Roland Garros as a 17-year-old back in 2019.
Anisimova famously stunned reigning champion Simona Halep in the quarter-final and pushed eventual champion Ashleigh Barty in the last four.
However, she had to deal with the tragic death of her father, Konstantin, later that season, and took time away from the game in 2023 to prioritise her mental health.
Having lost in Wimbledon qualifying back in 2024, Anisimova has surged up the WTA Rankings and, regardless of the rest of her SW19 campaign, will crack the top 10 for the first time post-tournament.
With her first two Grand Slam semi-finals having come on the natural surfaces, she is the first American woman in 34 years to reach her first two major semi-finals at the non-hard-court majors.
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She follows in the footsteps of Jennifer Capriati, who reached the last four of the French Open in 1990 and Wimbledon in 1991.
There were touching scenes on court after her victory on Tuesday, with the 23-year-old bringing out her nephew Jackson onto the court for her post-match speech.
And, as she revealed, her older sister Maria and her family had only arrived in London earlier that day.
She added: “My whole team here, this would not have been possible without them. Being so tough in that tiebreak, I think they’re the ones who have implemented that in me.
“My sister is here with her husband, and I’m just super grateful that they flew in and got to experience this with me.
“It doesn’t happen often, so it’s just super special.”
Anisimova will now have to ready herself for a blockbuster semi-final against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who battled past Laura Siegemund in a three-set thriller earlier in the day.
Top seed Sabalenka defeated the American in the fourth round of Roland Garros last month, and has won three of their last four meetings, though Anisimova holds a 5-3 overall lead in their head-to-head.
