Amanda Anisimova has worked so hard and been through so much, but she is now being rewarded generously for her devotion to the sport.
After all, in beating Naomi Osaka last night in a thrilling comeback victory, the American reached a second straight Grand Slam final.
It has been yet another mesmeric run for the 24-year-old, who has bounced back from the devastation of her Wimbledon final with remarkable poise and grace.
And now, she faces the unenviable task of trying to topple the defending champion and world number one, Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
Her mindset throughout this match will arguably be just as important as her physical and technical assets, and she actually shared how her mental state fluctuated throughout her win over Osaka last night.
Amanda Anisimova shares her emotions throughout her Naomi Osaka match
Speaking at her press conference, it was clearly as much of a roller-coaster for the player as it was for the fans inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
She began by admitting: “Yeah, it was a really tough match, and most of the time, I thought that it’s gonna slip away from me, and I’m not gonna make it into the final, so at some points, I was trying to accept that, as tough as that was.”
However, Amanda Anisimova then pinpointed when it all changed for her, continuing: “But yeah, in the later moments of the second set, I was trying to remind myself what was on the line, and the opportunity I have. I just, yeah, I mean, I stepped onto the court and I feel like I wasn’t playing my tennis because I was nervous, and I was, like, letting the stress get to me a little bit. Um, but then I tried to dig deep and find my game, and I feel like throughout the match, I was able to find it more and more, and, you know, the most important thing was that I kept fighting.
“And then, yeah, obviously after the match, I mean, I’m just, I’m happy and I’m relieved, and, yeah, I want to go recover to get ready for the final.”
Despite her loss to Anisimova, the Japanese superstar remained upbeat, with Osaka setting herself a new goal after this US Open defeat.
Amanda Anisimova’s head-to-head record vs Aryna Sabalenka
As touched upon earlier, Anisimova has set up yet another clash with Sabalenka in a bid for the US Open title.
It will be the tenth career meeting between the two, with the American boasting a slender lead, having won six of their nine matches thus far.
Their first and most recent clashes saw Anisimova come out on top, with the latter being their enthralling Wimbledon semi-final earlier this summer.
However, Sabalenka is enjoying a remarkable run at the US Open, having strolled to the title last year and reached that stage again this year with minimal fuss.
It honestly marks one of the toughest matches to call, with there being little between the two as they clash for one of tennis’ ultimate prizes.
