Tennis at the US Open: From Schmach back into the final: Anisimova reaches for title

At the moment of her second final on the dazzling Grand Slam stage, Amanda Anisimova knelt on the blue hard court. A few times she hit the floor with her hand. Then the American tennis player leaned forward, put her forehead and paused.

What a difference can make eight weeks. Less than two months after the historical and memorable 0: 6, 0: 6 and tears in the Wimbledon final, Anisimova can write a tennis fairy tale on Saturday (10 p.m. MESZ/Sky, Sporteurope.TV). In the gripping semi -finals, she was Japan’s tennis star Naomi Osaka 6: 7 (4: 7), 7: 6 (7: 3), 6: 3. She impressively showed that she recovered from Wimbledon.

With a success against defending champion and top favorite Aryna Sabalenka, she can register in tennis history as a US Open winner. In the Wimbledon semi-final, she defeated number one in the tennis world.

Anisimova is against her doubts in the semifinals

“It means the world to me. A dream comes true,” said Anisimova a few minutes before 1:00 a.m. “I am now in the final and try to prepare myself for it. I’m just excited – it’s something very special.”

At least in the semi-finals, she showed that she can overcome doubts and deal with pressure that may be higher for a US player at home. When she was supposed to explain her emotional roller coaster ride against Osaka, she smiled. She thought most of the time that the match would slip away, she admitted.

“At some points I tried to accept that, as it was as difficult as it was,” said number nine in the world from the US state of New Jersey. “In the last moments of the second set, I tried to remember what was at stake and what chance I had.”

It could not be done by residues, by a weak first tie -break with too many avoidable mistakes. Not that Osaka was about to be victorious. Not from their two missed match balls.

Heavy stroke of fate for Anisimova

She successfully fought the negative thoughts with which she had gone into the match. “I felt that I couldn’t play my tennis because of my nervousness,” said Anisimova. Again and again she got upset to be able to make it. Already all day.

Anisimova has already went through worse in her life than a clap in the Wimbledon final. As a teenager, she once delighted the tennis world. At the age of 17 she was in the semi -finals of the French Open, a little later her father and coach Konstantin died at the age of 52.

Anisimova returned to the tennis tour after a short break, but at some point she lost lust. In May 2023 she announced that she was fighting with mental problems and burnout. “It is unbearable for me to be with tennis tournaments,” she wrote on Instagram and paused.

She also reminded of these bad times in New York. And she inevitably had to deal with the Wimbledon final. On July 12th she had been overwhelmed against Iga Swiatek and was bitterly cried afterwards. Such a disgrace had previously only existed at the classic lawn in 1911. In the modern era, only Steffi Graf missed this maximum penalty at the Grand Slams in the final of the French Open Natascha Zwerewa.

The drama was not forgotten when Anisimova met again in the quarter -finals of the US Open of the Polish Swiadek. And as painful as it was, she looked at the Wimbledon final beforehand to learn from it, see what it had to avoid. She returned to Swiatek in two sets.

How does the outsider go to the next final?

She feels better prepared for her next Grand Slam final against Sabalenka. The Belarusin came into the New York final with a 4: 6, 6: 3, 6: 4 against Anisimova’s compatriot Jessica Pegula.

In Wimbledon, after every win she was “totally shocked”, Anisimova looked back. “I really worked on myself to be able to deal with such moments and to believe in me, even if it feels like there is nothing to believe.” She had already referred to the semi -finals as “surreal”. It can become surreal.