Anisimova to face Swiatek in Wimbledon final after Sabalenka thriller
It was a pulsating encounter on Centre Court at SW19
Amanda Anisimova will meet Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final after she defeated world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling semi-final encounter on Thursday.
Anisimova shocked the Belarusian 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a pulsating match that saw the 23-year-old American progress to her first-ever Grand Slam final.
The pair battled it out for more than two-and-a-half hours on Centre Court, with Anisimova becoming only the second player in the Open Era to reach a women’s singles final at a Grand Slam after losing in qualifying the previous year.
It has been perhaps the best 10 days of the world No.13’s career to date. In 2019, she made it to the last four of the French Open as a 17-year-old before reaching the quarter-finals at SW19 three years ago.
One hand on the Ladies’ Singles Trophy.
Centre Court awaits a spectacle #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/2AbRRnqaIK
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2025
Saturday’s final will see her take on the formidable Swiatek, who made light work of Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-0 in the other semi-final.
Bencic has made an impressive return to the court just over a year after giving birth but she fell at the penultimate hurdle to the in-form Polish star.
Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, has never before won a senior women’s Wimbledon title but has emerged victorious in every major final she has played in.
She may go into the showdown with Anisimova the slight favourite but the 24-year-old, who won a junior singles title at Wimbledon in 2018, has previously struggled on grass.
In the men’s singles semi-finals, Novak Djokovic is thought to be an injury doubt for his clash with world No.1 Jannik Sinner on Friday.
The 38-year-old, eyeing up what would be a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon single’s crown, cancelled a practice on Thursday.
If Djokovic does have to pull out, it would be the second time this championships that Sinner has progressed through default.
His Round of 16 clash with Grigor Dimitrov ended with Sinner two sets down but the Bulgarian could not continue after suffering a pectoral muscle injury during the third set.
Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, will be aiming for a third straight Wimbledon final – and title – when he meets Taylor Fritz.
Alcaraz ended the hopes of the last remaining British player in the singles competition when he overcame Cameron Norrie in the quarter-final, while Fritz – the world No.5 – beat Karen Khachanov in the his last-eight match.