Amanda Anisimova is tearing it up at Wimbledon. The American 13th seed stunned world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a gripping 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory on July 10! At 23, she’s now the last US player standing on the women’s side, while Taylor Fritz holds the fort on the men’s side. What makes her run even more impressive? She took a seven-month break in 2023 to focus on her mental health. Her comeback is a true testament to resilience. It’s been a while since an American has made this kind of splash at SW19!
American tennis once dominated Wimbledon throughout much of the 20th and early 21st centuries. From Pete Sampras’s slick serve-and-volley to Serena Williams’s powerful baseline game, the U.S. produced some of the tournament’s biggest legends. It was normal to see Americans deep into the second week, battling for titles across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Stars like Venus Williams, Andre Agassi, the Bryan brothers, and Martina Navratilova (after becoming a U.S. citizen) kept the American flag flying high on grass.
Williams remains the last American to win Wimbledon singles, doing so in 2016. She defeated Angelique Kerber 7–5, 6–3 to claim her seventh Wimbledon title and tie Steffi Graf’s Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam singles trophies. Serena also reached the final in 2019 but was stopped by Simona Halep, who played near-flawless tennis to win in straight sets.
Now, Amanda Anisimova is closing in on her own slice of history. After reaching the quarterfinals in 2022, she stumbled last year, falling short in qualifying. But she enters Wimbledon 2025 at a career-best No. 12, ready to make waves again.
She opened the tournament by blanking Yulia Putintseva without dropping a game, then followed with a straight-sets win over Renata Zarazua. A tough three-set battle against Dalma Galfi in the third round ended 6-3 in her favor. Her first seeded opponent was No. 30 Linda Noskova, whom she edged out in another three-set thriller.
In the quarterfinals, Anisimova dispatched Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets. Now, after beating Aryna Sabalenka, this American is speeding toward her first Wimbledon final—poised to carry the torch for U.S. tennis once again. While she awaits the winner between Iga Swiatek and Belinda Bencic, Amanda’s ready to take them on!
Amanda Anisimova expresses joy over first Wimbledon final
In her post-match interview, a radiant Amanda Anisimova admitted, “This doesn’t feel real right now, honestly.” She praised her opponent, saying, “Aryna is such a tough competitor and I was absolutely dying out there. Yeah, I don’t know how I pulled it off. I mean, she’s such an incredible competitor and she’s an inspiration to me and I’m sure so many other people.”
With this win, Amanda extended her head-to-head lead over Sabalenka to 6-3 and kept alive American hopes for a third women’s Grand Slam champion this year, following Madison Keys and Coco Gauff. She also made history as the first woman born in the 2000s to reach a Wimbledon final.
But her gratitude also went beyond the court. She gave a heartfelt shoutout to her family, pointing to the stands: “I have my beautiful family over there. My sister, my nephew, my brother-in-law, and his whole beautiful family. I also think my best friend is here, but I couldn’t spot her at first.” Their support has been a cornerstone throughout her Wimbledon journey.
This victory marks a remarkable comeback for the Florida-born star who first burst onto the Grand Slam scene as a 17-year-old French Open semifinalist in 2019. Now, six years later, she stands just one win away from claiming her first major title.
Can Amanda Anisimova keep this momentum going and lift the trophy? Share your thoughts in the comments! For minute-by-minute updates and full coverage, follow EssentiallySports Live Blog.
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