Anisimova surprises Sabalenka and will play her first Wimbledon final

London (EFE).- American Amanda Anisimova will play her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon by surprising the favorite, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who once again falls at the gates of success at the All England Club (6-4, 4-6 and 6-4).

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Anisimova, five years after the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2019 when she was 19 years old, achieves the best result of her career and does so, moreover, eliminating the world number one and consecrating the good moment of American tennis. In Australia, Madison Keys won, in Paris, Coco Gauff, and this Saturday Anisimova could win in London. Finalist at Queen's a few weeks ago, the American has played the best tennis of her career to be the first of her country to win this title since Serena Williams. "I still can't believe this is real. Aryna is a great competitor, I was dying out there. She is an inspiration to me and to many. Being in the Wimbledon final is incredibly special," Anisimova said on the court. The American, after winning the first set and losing the second with some drama, losing her serve with a double fault, played a rollercoaster of a final set. Sabalenka was the first to break, but lost four consecutive games and allowed Anisimova to serve for the match at 5-3. Among the nerves of being one step away from the final, she lost her serve and Sabalenka served to stay in the match. She went 0-40 and, after saving the first two match points against her, the Belarusian succumbed to the third with a winning shot from Anisimova.

"If I had been told I would be in the final, I wouldn't have believed it." "If they had told me I would be in the final, I wouldn't have believed it. Especially so soon, because it wasn't that long ago that I started playing again. This is indescribable," said Anisimova, who took a seven-month break in 2023 for her mental health. Burned out by the tennis player's life and the expectations that were unleashed around her after reaching the semifinals in Paris before turning twenty, Anisimova did not compete between May 2023 and January 2024, losing almost 300 places in the ranking. With this result, in addition to being the youngest player in the Wimbledon final since Serena in 2004, Anisimova is assured of re-entering the top ten of the ranking for the first time in her career.