Before we even consider her quarterfinal opponent, Anisimova deserves credit for progressing to this point. It’s by far her best US Open result – she had won only three main-draw matches at Flushing Meadows prior to 2025 – and it’s a result achieved at the venue where she most wants to succeed.
“It’s super special,” said Anisimova, who crushed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-0 6-3 in the fourth round on Monday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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“Going into this [tournament] I truly was taking it one match at a time. Like, never really made it this far at the US Open, so it really means a lot.
“I know how hard it is to play at this Slam, just because it’s the city, and I feel like there’s a lot going on. Also being a home Slam, it puts a little bit more pressure on the American players, I think.
“But I really just tried to embrace it, I think, since the first day that I got here.”
Anisimova has already produced the best Grand Slam season of her career. Her Wimbledon final and US Open quarterfinal followed a fourth-round finish at Roland Garros, helping her build a 14-3 record at the majors this year, exceeding the 10 wins she managed at this level in 2022.
Perhaps even more impressively, she has won six of eight matches following that Wimbledon final defeat – a result observers worried could derail her.
“Bouncing back from that actually was a little bit difficult, because that never happened to me before,” said Anisimova, the world No.9. “But I’ve worked through it, and the hardcourt season started off strong for me. I feel like I have moved on from that at this point.
“[The Wimbledon final] wasn’t a good performance by any means. I feel like maybe I learned some things from it and some things I can do differently, but above all, I think it was just a learning experience.”