WHAT HAPPENED: The last time we saw Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova on court together was at Wimbledon in the women’s singles final, 53 days ago. There, the 24-year-old American suffered a stinging defeat, falling to Swiatek, 6-0, 6-0.
So, in their quarterfinal contest at the 2025 US Open, Anisimova, the No. 8 seed here, was seeking sweet revenge. And she got it, taking out Swiatek, the No. 2 seed, 6-4, 6-3—for the biggest upset to date in Flushing this year.
Since that fateful day at Wimbledown, the New Jersey native has responded with grace and patience to questions about how she’d feel when facing Swiatek again—especially after the US Open draw revealed that if seeds held, they’d meet in the quarterfinals here. Short story: “I'm really excited and looking forward to it,” Anisimova said after her Round 4 win here.
The crowds packing Arthur Ashe Stadium seemed well aware of the players' history. When Anisimova put her first game on the scoreboard (already one more than she won at Wimbledon), the reaction was deafening—and maybe a little relieved.
After exchanging breaks, the players seemed to be testing each other. This was just their second meeting and their first match on hard courts, where the American’s heavy groundstrokes are most acutely felt. Swiatek assumed the more defensive position, absorbing her opponent’s pace and power and replying with low, angled shots.
By the time the first set was tied at 4-4, Anisimova had hit 12 winners (and six unforced errors) to Swiatek’s seven winners (and six unforced errors). In the next game, with Swiatek serving, the American’s continued aggression earned her two set points. Anisimova converted the second one, taking the first frame, 6-4.
Along with her 2025 Wimbledon crown, Swiatek, also age 24, has collected four championship trophies at Roland Garros (2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024), along with one at the 2022 US Open.
So playing tough matches on a big stage is business as usual for the Polish superstar. Indeed, the unbothered-looking Swiatek grabbed the first break of serve in the second set. But the equally serene-looking and—hard-slugging—American didn’t falter, breaking back to put the set back on serve.
The next few games followed the same pattern. The average rally was just three shots long. Anisimova’s stats continued to be cleaner. Swiatek found herself on her back foot, literally leaning away to absorb the American’s pace.
Serving at 3-4, Swiatek double faulted to lose the game. And so, the American had the match on her racquet, serving at 5-3. Anisimova would go up 40-0 in the game to earn herself three match points. She'd waste two of them. Then at 40-30, she watched while her shot hit the net cord. The stadium watched too, holding its collective breath. And then the ball bounced over, to give the game and the match to Anisimova. Final score, 6-4, 6-3.
In her post-match press conference, Swiatek dismissed the notion that her easy Wimbledon win was a factor in her losing their next match.
“It didn't really matter for me,” she said. “I think everybody knows how Amanda can play. Yeah, she didn't play well in Wimbledon, but it's not like she's always going to do the same mistakes or feel the same.”
Rather, Swiatek pointed to Anisimova’s superior return game—and the struggles she had with her own serve. The No. 2 seed had a first-serve-in rate of 50%, and she won just 70% of the points behind her first serve.
“She was winning, I guess, more points from her serve, and I struggled a bit to sometimes make the first serve in,” said Swiatek. “I couldn't win today's match playing like that, serving like that.”
For her part, an elated Anisimova said she was proud of the mental toughness that carried her through. “Today I really came out there with, like, not an ounce of fear,” she said in her post-match press conference. “I feel like I really made a point to myself and also maybe to other people that, like, if you really put a positive mindset out there or, I don't know, just try and work through things, then, you know, you can have a positive outcome.”
WHAT IT MEANS: Next up is the winner of the quarterfinal contest between a resurgent Naomi Osaka and Czechia’s Karolina Muchova. The evening match, to be played under the lights in Ashe, pits the four-time-Grand-Slam champion Osaka against Muchova, who is into her third straight semifinal in New York.
Anisimova doesn’t have much history with either player. She’s met Muchova just once, defeating her at Roland Garros three years ago. She has played Osaka twice, beating her at Roland Garros, also in 2022, and at the same year’s Australian Open.
MATCH POINT: After Swiatek handed Anisimova a double bagel in the Wimbledon final this year, much had been made about the prospect of their rematch. But let’s remember that the American knocked out Aryna Sabalenka on her way to that fateful contest.
In other words, if Anisimova makes it to the final here, another rematch could be in the cards. Another point in the American’s favor: She’s one of the few players who owns a solid head-to-head advantage over Sabalenka (six to three)—with wins, crucially, on hard courts as well, at the Australian Open and Canada, both in 2024.
