By Elma Aksalic
New Jersey native, Amanda Anisimova, upset the No. 1 top-seed Aryna Sabalenka during the 2025 Wimbledon women’s semifinals.
The 23-year-old won the match in three sets, 6–4, 4–6, 6–4 on Thursday, during the annual tennis tournament at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London.
She will now advance to the Grand Slam tournament final and face off against Polish star and former world No. 1 seed, Iga Świątek, this weekend.
“This doesn’t feel real right now, honestly,” Anisimova said during an on-court interview following the match. “Aryna is such a tough competitor, and I was absolutely dying out there. I don’t know how I pulled it out.”
The win marks Anisimova’s first time playing in a Grand Slam final in her career. Prior to this, she reached only one Grand Slam semi-final appearance during the 2019 French Open at 17 years old and was the youngest woman to do so at a major since 2006.
Last year, Anisimova was ranked No. 36, where she did not advance beyond qualifying rounds at Wimbledon, compared to her No. 13 seed this year.
“We’ve had so many tough battles and to come out on top today and be in the final of Wimbledon is just so incredibly special,” Anisimova told spectators at the event.
“The atmosphere was incredible today, I know she’s Sabalenka number one but a lot of people were cheering up for me, so I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone.”
In 2023, Anisimova took a prolonged break from tennis, citing mental health concerns. This, after she reached the fourth round of the Australian Open twice in 2022 and had her best finish, making it to the quarterfinals at the All-England Club.
“I’ve really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022,” she wrote on Instagram at the time.
“It’s become unbearable being at tennis tournaments. At this point, my priority is my mental well-being and taking a break for some time. I’ve worked as hard as I could to push through it. I will miss being out there, and I appreciate all the continuous support.”
First established in 1877, Wimbledon is considered the world’s oldest tennis tournament and one of the four Grand Slam events, along with the U.S. Open, Australian Open, and French Open.
The 14-day event officially began on June 30 and runs through July 13. It features the biggest names in tennis competing through single-elimination knockout rounds in hopes of reaching the finals.
