Amanda Anisimova is into the final of a second straight Grand Slam. After a night of big hitting, this one hits different.
The American reached her first major final at Wimbledon, and matched that result Thursday at the 2025 US Open with a 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3 victory against Naomi Osaka in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
A lot has changed from the London lawns to the hard floors of Flushing.
"I feel like the last few weeks it's been a bit of a different feeling," she said of her approach in New York. "I feel like when I was at Wimbledon, every single match was kind of like a surprise to me. I was, like, shocked with every match that I won."
At her home Slam, she knows she belongs among the best: "Here it feels more [like] I believe in myself, and I'm able to do it, kind of. So I think that's been the shift for me, at least here at the US Open."
While she spoke of self-belief, Anisimova also believed she was headed home at some points in the thrilling semifinal.
"It was a really tough match. Most of the time I thought that it's going to slip away from me, and I'm not going to make it into the final. At some points I was trying to accept that, as tough as that was," said the American, who dug out of a 0-15 hole as she served to stay in the match at 5-6 in set two.
"In the later moments of the second set I was trying to remind myself what was on the line and the opportunity I have."
Anisimova said her nerves got to her early in the match, but she took pride in her ability to fight through them. Asked how she overcame that stress, she described her inner monologue: "I just keep telling myself that I can do it, and I believe in myself. I keep saying that over and over again, not just in the match, but the whole day," she said with a smile.
"But I really try and tell my brain, or I guess manifest it or visualize it, then it will happen. Yeah, I just kept going over and over with those, like, affirmations. I just try and stay upbeat and positive. Of course, today was a stressful match. There was emotions all over the place."
After reversing the result from the Wimbledon final with an upset of Iga Swiatek in the US Open quarters, she'll now hope to repeat the outcome of her Wimbledon semifinal against Aryna Sabalenka. Anisimova won that match in three sets, improving to 6-3 in her head-to-head with the reigning US Open champ.
"It's the No. 1 player in the world, and she's playing amazing tennis," Anisimova said, previewing their 4 p.m. Saturday showdown. "It's going to be a really tough match and a battle. I'm excited. Every single time we have played, it's been great."
