Who is Amanda Anisimova? The next US star aiming to match Serena Williams

Sam Cooper 10 Jul 2025 4:52 PM

Amanda Anisimova has reached the final of the Wimbledon Women’s Singles

Amanda Anisimova has reached the Wimbledon final after stunning World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka but who is the 23-year-old?

The US star is a rising talent in the tennis world but the victory against Sabalenka is undoubtedly the biggest of her career to date as she became the first American woman since Serena Williams in 2019 to reach the Wimbledon final.

Who is Amanda Anisimova?

Amanda Anisimova is a 23-year-old American born on August 31, 2001 in Freehold Township, New Jersey, US.

She and her family moved to Miami when she was just three and she first started playing tennis by going to her sister’s practices every day.

Her junior career saw her win the US Open girls’ singles in 2017, defeating Coco Gauff in the final, and she was runner-up at the 2016 French Open. As a result, she made it No.2 in the junior world rankings.

She began her professional tennis career in 2016 when she was given a wildcard entry into the US Open qualifying rounds.

She won her debut match against world No.124 Verónica Cepede Royg before losing in the next round.

Her Grand Slam breakthrough came in 2019 when she stunned world No. 11 Aryna Sabalenka to reach the fourth round.

Later that year, she became the first player, male or female, born in the 2000s to reach the semi-final of a Grand Slam after she beat Simona Halep. Having not conceded a set up to that point, she lost to eventual champion Ash Barty but rose to No.26 in the world.

But Grand Slam success would go on to allude her and after her semi-final in 2019, it would be over three years before she reached the quarter-final stage, doing so at Wimbledon in 2022.

In 2023, she took an indefinite break from tennis to focus on her mental health, citing burnout, but returned to the court in 2024 to beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the Auckland Open.

Earlier this year, she won her first WTA 1000 title at the Qatar Ladies Open and reached the semi-final of the Wimbledon warmup tournament, Queen’s.

How did Amanda Anisimova reach the 2025 Wimbledon semi-final?

She was seeded 13th for the All England tournament and double bagelled Yulia Putintseva. She progressed to the round of 16 by beating the unseeded Renata Zarazúa and Dalma Gálfi before facing Linda Nosková.

Winning 6-2, 7-5, 6-4, Anisimova then defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarters to set up a tough match against world No.1 Sabalenka.

But in the Centre Court battle, Anisimova produced some of the best tennis of her career. Winning the opening set 6-4 before surviving a second-set comeback to take the match two sets to one.

After she said: “This doesn’t feel real right now. Honestly, Aryna is such a tough competitor, and I was absolutely dying out there. I don’t know how I pulled it out.

“I mean, she’s, she’s such an incredible competitor, and she’s an inspiration to me, and I’m sure so many, so many other people.

“We’ve had so many tough battles, and to come on top today and be in the final at Wimbledon is just so incredibly special. And the atmosphere was incredible today. I mean, I know she’s number one, but a lot of people were cheering for me, and so I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone.

“To be honest, if you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon, I would not believe you, at least not this soon. Because, I mean, it’s been a year turnaround since, you know, coming back and being in this sport. I mean, it’s not easy. And so many people dream of, you know, competing on this incredible court. It’s been such a privilege to compete here and to be in the final is just indescribable.”