NEW YORK — Amanda Anisimova has won 199 matches over the course of her nine-year career on the Hologic WTA Tour, and she can safely say that this one rises above the rest.
“Today is definitely the most meaningful victory I’ve had in my life,” the 24-year-old said on Wednesday night.
She was, of course, referring to her 6-4, 6-3 upset of World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in a packed and raucous Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach her first-ever US Open semifinal.
The win was meaningful for so many reasons, not the least of which was getting revenge — and peace of mind — after Swiatek drubbed her 6-0, 6-0 in the Wimbledon final earlier this summer.
But it was extra special on this court, at this tournament, in front of these fans.
Ahead of this match, the world No. 9 focused on staying mindful and playing without fear She also worked to stay positive, something she felt was missing in the championship match at Wimbledon.
“I think that was the most important part of today, is really lifting myself up and trying to pump myself up with positive affirmations,” the New Jersey native said after the match. “I think that was something I was really lacking in the Wimbledon final. I wasn’t really showing much, or my attitude and my presence wasn’t really there. So I think that’s also something that I learned that I need to do better of.
“…I feel like I was really supporting myself, which in turn also helped me play better.”
The night before the match, Anisimova actually watched the Wimbledon final to get a better sense of what went wrong in that first meeting. She then followed that up with some highlights of successes (again, positive affirmations). In rewatching it, she noticed that “I was slow as hell.” She certainly wasn’t slow as hell on this day, and dictated play with her power — 23 winners to Swiatek’s 13 — and strong return game (four of nine break points converted).
She admitted she felt some stress out of the gate, after getting broken in the first game — “OK, here we go” — but promptly broke back and felt the stress melt away as she got into a groove.
And as the match continued, she kept her foot on the gas, never letting up and never giving the six-time Grand Slam champion an inch.
“I think when I started the tournament, I was kind of going into the matches with a little bit of fear and maybe holding back a bit,” she said. “As I’ve been progressing and playing more and more, I told myself you can’t go into the match with any fear, especially if I’m playing against top players.
“It’s just not a negotiable for me, because if I want to win the match, I’m going to have to play really brave and strong tennis. Today I really came out there with not an ounce of fear.”
Anisimova will play Naomi Osaka, who defeated Karolina Muchova on Wednesday evening, on Thursday for a spot in the final. The American has won each of her two meetings against Osaka, though they haven’t played since the 2022 French Open.