Anisimova sinks Sabalenka as Swiatek joins her in Wimbledon final

Wimbledon 2025

Venue: All England Club Dates: 30 June-13 July

Amanda Anisimova dealt out more Grand Slam heartbreak to world number one Aryna Sabalenka as she set up a Wimbledon final meeting against Iga Swiatek with victory in a thrilling contest.

American Anisimova, the 13th seed, waved and blew kisses to the crowd after securing a remarkable 6-4 4-6 6-4 victory on a blazing hot day on Centre Court.

The 23-year-old saved 11 of the 14 break points she faced to seal her place in a maiden Grand Slam final, converting her fourth match point of a gruelling contest lasting two hours and 35 minutes.

“This doesn’t feel real, I was absolutely dying out there,” she said.

“I don’t know how I pulled it out. To come out on top today and be in the final of Wimbledon is so incredibly special.”

Sabalenka has twice suffered heartbreak in major finals this year – losing in Australia to Madison Keys and then in Paris to Coco Gauff.

Anisimova was a tipped to win Grand Slam titles as a teenager.

As a 17-year-old she reached the 2019 French Open semi-finals, stunning defending champion Simona Halep and Sabalenka along the way.

Four years later, Anisimova took a break for her mental health for about seven months.

The Wimbledon final was likely not on her radar. At least not yet.

A run to the final of Queen’s, where she lost to Tatjana Maria, set her up well for a good run at the All England Club but few would have betted against the power, and experience at this point in a major, of Sabalenka.

But against Anisimova, it quickly became apparent that simply overpowering her opponent – as she has done so effectively numerous times – was not going to work.

Anisimova moved well, anticipated well and, crucially, returned superbly, particularly on the backhand.

The two could barely be separated until an intense game at 5-4 on Sabalenka’s serve featuring six deuces was gifted to Anisimova after an untimely double fault from the three-time major champion.

After more exhausting tennis in the second set, it was again a double fault that swung the momentum as Sabalenka broke at 3-3, having coaxed Anisimova into a couple of mistakes.

Set points swiftly followed but it was never going to be straightforward and Anisimova hung on in a tough service game to save four and force Sabalenka to serve it out.

An immediate break of serve in the third set teed up the potential for Sabalenka to assert some dominance, but a scruffy service game followed and Anisimova won the next four games to take a decisive lead.

She held two match points at 5-4 in her quarter-final match before finding herself in a tie-break, and there was a glimmer of those nerves again as Sabalenka earned three break points while Anisimova served for the match.

But grit and determination powered Anisimova through and she recovered to take the match at the third opportunity.

Anisimova will now likely have to produce a similar performance if she is to win a first Grand Slam title, with Swiatek looking dominant in her 6-2 6-0 win against Belinda Bencic to reach a maiden Wimbledon final.

These two played in an epic fourth-round match at Wimbledon two years ago, with Swiatek coming back from the brink by saving two match points to win.

But this was anything but close as Swiatek powered into her sixth Grand Slam final, and an ominous sign for her opponent is that she has won all five of those she has played in before.

“I am just super excited and proud of myself,” she said.

“Tennis keeps surprising me. I thought I’d experienced everything before but I didn’t experience playing well on grass.

“I feel with my movement and I am serving really well and it is working.”

Swiatek looked focused and composed from the moment she arrived on court with her headphones on, revealing afterwards that she listens to AC/DC to motivate her for her matches.

It clearly worked as Swiatek dropped just two games and wrapped up the win in just 74 minutes.

She set the tone from the outset, breaking Bencic’s serve at the first time of asking, although the unseeded Swiss hurt her knee as she extended her leg awkwardly making a return.

A delay because of a medical issue in the crowd gave Bencic time to recover and, although her movement initially seemed a bit stiff, she soon got into her flow.

There was little Bencic was doing wrong but she was simply facing an opponent who was playing better and a deft volley at the net helped seal a second break for Swiatek and the first set.

The Pole only dropped two points behind her first serve in the opener but back-to-back double faults in the first game of the second set were a concern, but she recovered to secure the hold.