WHAT HAPPENED: There’s an American in the US Open women’s singles final, and her name is Amanda Anisimova.
Anisimova, the No. 8 seed, rallied to defeat Japan’s Naomi Osaka, 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3, in a nail-biting match that was just as close, and thrilling, as Thursday night's score indicates.
How tight was this instant classic?
At one point, Osaka, the No. 23 seed, was three points from punching her ticket into Saturday’s final. At another juncture, Anisimova let two match points slip away in a final game in which she stiff-armed two break points.
There was a razor-thin difference between these two. At certain times, it seemed certain one or the other was soon to be anointed the winner.
How did Anisimova turn back Osaka, a two-time US Open singles champion and four-time majors titlist?
“Oh my god, I don't know,’’ said Anisimova, after she dropped to her knees in jubilation and pounded the famous Arthur Ashe Stadium hard court. “Naomi is playing amazing tennis and she is back where she belongs. And I told her I’m so proud of her after having a baby and playing at this level. It’s insane.’’
Some thought it was crazy, with Osaka serving for the match at 6-5 in the second set, that Anisimova had a pulse in this outing. But she stayed positive, kept banging her powerful groundstrokes and somehow did a Houdini act that is still mind-boggling.
“She was really giving me a run for the final,’’ said Anisimova, after advancing to her home major final in a nearly three-hour tussle. “I wasn’t sure I was going to make it to the finish line.
“I tried to dig deep and it was a huge fight out there today. We were both playing some amazing tennis. [I thought] how are we making these shots? But we were, and we just kept going.”
The first set was sensational and ended in a tiebreak, which Osaka won, 7-4. The breaker mirrored the rest of the set: When one of these big-hitters would start to claim a slight edge, the nerves would visit to bring them back even.
It was 2-1 to Osaka in the tiebreak when Anisimova got edgy. She double-faulted and missed a forehand on her serve, giving her opponent a 4-1 lead. The Japanese star seized the advantage.
The second set is the one that will haunt Osaka, who had eliminated three higher seeds to reach the semis. With the match on her racquet, she got tight and Anisimova got fearless. After Anisimova took control in the tiebreak, it was anyone’s match, although Lady Momentum was sitting next to Anisimova during the set break, as Osaka left the court.
When Osaka dumped a forehand into the net in the third set’s fourth game, Anisimova had the critical break. That was the difference as Anisimova sprinted toward the tape and into the final, although it took her three match points to seal the deal.
“At the end I’m just trying to fight my way through and I was trying to enjoy the moment,’’ said Anisimova, who had 50 winners to Osaka’s 32.
The crowd, ignoring the clock which had eclipsed midnight, was delirious that a (New) Jersey Girl was into the final. Anisimova, who also advanced to this summer’s Wimbledon final, was challenged in trying to explain its significance.
“It means the world,’’ she said. “I’m trying to process that right now. It’s just absolutely a dream come true.
“It has been a dream of mine like forever to be in the US Open final and obviously the hope is to be the champion. But I’m in the final now and I’ll try to get ready.’’
Ready or not, here comes Anisimova, and you can doubt her at your own risk.
WHAT IT MEANS: Anisimova has a huge hurdle to ascend when facing defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s showdown for the US Open singles title, after the world No. 1 reached her third straight final here. The pair has played nine times, with Anisimova holding a convincing 6-3 advantage.
None of the American’s wins were bigger than her one in this summer’s Wimbledon semifinals, when she eliminated Sabalenka, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, to reach her first Grand Slam final. They also had two other matches in the majors this year, with Sabalenka winning, 7-5, 6-3, in the Round of 16 at Roland Garros and at the Australian Open, in the same round, 6-3, 6-2.
MATCH POINT: With her pinpoint groundstrokes, Anisimova is known to paint a line or two. So it’s not surprising that among her hobbies is painting, which she turned to when she stepped away briefly from tennis in 2023 for a mental health break. Under her project, Art for Hope, Anisimova sold her paintings to raise funds for charities supporting mental health causes.
