No. 13 seed Amanda Anisimova kept her composure to earn a breakthrough victory at Wimbledon, defeating top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a 2-hour, 36-minute battle. The win sends Anisimova into her first-ever Grand Slam final.
According to OptaAce, the 23-year-old American now joins an elite group—becoming just the third player to defeat Sabalenka on clay, hard, and grass courts at the WTA level, alongside Kiki Bertens and Marketa Vondrousova.
The result also marks Anisimova’s sixth career victory over a Top 5 opponent, and her first over a reigning World No. 1. Notably, four of those six wins have come against Sabalenka, who now trails 3–6 in their head-to-head series.
With this result, Anisimova makes history as the first woman born in the 2000s to reach the Wimbledon singles final. No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek could follow suit if she wins her semifinal match against Belinda Bencic. Anisimova also has a chance to become the first American woman to lift the Wimbledon trophy since Serena Williams in 2015.
Amanda Amisinova and Aryna Sabalenka greet each other after the match (Getty Images)
Her upset win adds her to a short list of players who’ve beaten the WTA No. 1 on the way to their first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon. Since 1990, only Zina Garrison (1990), Marion Bartoli (2007), and Sabine Lisicki (2013) had previously achieved that feat.
Aminisova’s rise
Anisimova’s rise has accelerated over the past year. She reached her first WTA 1000 final in Toronto last August, followed by her maiden WTA 1000 title in Doha this February.
That momentum has now propelled her into the Top 10 for the first time in her career, a ranking milestone she’ll officially reach when the new standings are released on Monday. With a spot in the final secured, Anisimova is not only chasing her first Grand Slam title but also aiming to reclaim American dominance on grass.
American women’s record in Grand Slam this past year
For the first time since 2014-15, when Serena Williams achieved her second ‘Serena Slam’ (winning the four Grand Slam titles consecutively but not in the same calendar year), there will be an American playing in four consecutive Grand Slam finals:
- 2024 US Open – Jessica Pegula, Taylor Fritz
- 2025 Australian Open – Madison Keys
- 2025 Roland-Garros – Coco Gauff
- 2025 Wimbledon – Amanda Anisimova
