It’s been 53 days since Amanda Anisimova was shut out in the Wimbledon final, defeated by world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, 6-0, 6-0.
The American said she was able to bounce back quickly and put the “insane” experience out of her mind. But with her success through three rounds of the US Open, a rematch suddenly loomed. The players would meet in the quarterfinals, in front of another huge crowd, this time in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
In what Anisimova called “the most meaningful victory of my life,” she upset Swiatek, the No. 2 seed here, in two efficient sets, 6-4, 6-3.
In her post-match press conference, the American admitted to making herself watch the chastening Wimbledon defeat on the eve of her rematch.
“As painful as it was, just to see what I can avoid or what went wrong,” she said and then added, laughing, “Then after I had to watch some good highlights to, like, remove that from my brain.”
Said the Anisimova of her Wimbledon performance: “I was as slow as hell.”
The New Jersey native, who is through to the semifinals at her home Slam US for the first time, also spoke about the pride she has in the mental toughness she’s developed.
“I'm just really, really proud of myself,” said Anisimova, who is the No. 8 seed here. “I feel like I really made a point to myself and also maybe to other people that if you really put a positive mindset out there or just try and work through things, then you can have a positive outcome.”
Mental fortitude has eluded Anisimova in the past. In 2023, she reached a then-career-high ranking of 23, but then took a prolonged mental-health break from tennis.
The result: When she returned to the tour in early 2024, she was ranked outside the Top 400. But the 24-year-old has rocketed back since then, winning her first WTA 1000 title this February in Doha and climbing into the Top 10 after her Wimbledon showing.
And she’s made progress toward an even better mental attitude during this Flushing fortnight.
“I think when I started the tournament, I was kind of going into the matches with a little bit of fear and maybe holding back a bit,” Anisimova recalled. “As I've been progressing and playing more and more, I told myself, like, ‘you can't go into the match with any fear, especially if I'm playing against top players.’ If I want to win the match, I'm going to have to play really brave and strong tennis.”
Her hard work has paid off.
For her quarterfinal contest against Swiatek, “I really came out there with, like, not an ounce of fear,” she said.
