Anisimova Advances to US Open Final After Beating Osaka in an Exciting Match
In an emotional night at the US Open, Amanda Anisimova achieved an impressive victory over Naomi Osaka in the semifinals, thus advancing to her second consecutive Grand Slam final. Anisimova, seeded number eight, won with partials of 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3) and 6-3, demonstrating a great capacity for recovery after losing the first set. Her performance will pit her against Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one, in Saturday’s final. Anisimova’s victory over Osaka, number 23 in the world, came in a match that ended near 1 a.m.This triumph marks a milestone for Anisimova, who is seeking her first Grand Slam title. At Wimbledon, she was a runner-up, and now she has a new opportunity to establish herself. Sabalenka, for her part, defeated Jessica Pegula, number four, with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals. Sabalenka is one victory away from becoming the first woman to win consecutive championships at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams. The semifinal between Osaka and Anisimova ended around 1 a.m. on Friday. Regarding the bets, Sabalenka is listed as the favorite for the final, while Anisimova is presented as the challenger. Osaka, after her defeat, expressed:I wasn’t sure I could make it to the end and I tried to push myself to the maximum. It was a great battle today.
Amanda Anisimova
The first semifinal on Thursday was very contested, more than Sabalenka’s straight-sets victory over Pegula. Sabalenka, since then, was runner-up against Madison Keys at the Australian Open and against Coco Gauff at the French Open, and then was eliminated in the semifinals of Wimbledon by Anisimova. In her first opportunity to close out the semifinal against Pegula, the defending champion missed an easy shot at the net, and then looked at the ground. In Sabalenka’s second chance, she missed a clumsy volley, and then acknowledged that she shouldn’t have ventured forward because she only hit 15 of 27 at the net. Sabalenka managed to stay calm and convert her third match point to finally overcome Pegula.Honestly, I don’t feel sad. It’s really strange. Well, it’s not strange, because I feel like I did the best I could. Honestly, it’s something inspiring for me, because it makes me want to train and try to improve, and hopefully, I’ll give my best again and see what happens. But I think I can’t be angry or upset with myself.
Naomi Osaka
The retractable roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium was closed before the semifinals began, preventing disruption from wind and rain. In good indoor conditions, Pegula played as cleanly as possible in the first and third sets, committing only three unforced errors in each. But in the second, that figure was nine. In the end, Sabalenka accumulated more than double the winners than Pegula, 43-21.I was super excited. I was like, ‘Oh my God, there’s no way this is happening. Please close this match’”, Sabalenka explained afterwards. “During the whole match, I keep telling myself: [On to the] next one, one step at a time, don’t worry about the past. Just try to get better on the next point.
Aryna Sabalenka
Pegula went for her returns, making big cuts and not playing it safe, by any means. So, this was the key: Sabalenka was able to save the four break points she faced in the final set.We were pushing each other, every game.
Jessica Pegula
Sabalenka responded with a laugh when asked how she handled those moments: “Just praying inside and hoping for the best.” Neither she nor Pegula had lost a set in the tournament before Thursday, although Sabalenka only needed to go through four matches, instead of five, to reach the semifinals, because her quarterfinal opponent, Marketa Vondrousova, withdrew due to a knee injury. That meant Sabalenka had not competed since Sunday. Could she be rusty? She certainly didn’t look that way at first, and Sabalenka used an ingenious combination of drop-shot-volley-winner to help gain an advantage and take a 4-2 lead. But Pegula didn’t crumble. In the next game, with thousands of spectators roaring for every point won by the American, Sabalenka missed unbalanced groundstrokes on two consecutive points and double-faulted to be broken immediately. Sabalenka shook her head and hit her arms to her side. That ended her streak of 32 consecutive serves, and she threw a white towel over her head at the change of play. Pegula then broke again to crown a four-game streak that closed the set and, this time, Sabalenka quickly retrieved her bag and headed to the locker room. When she returned, Sabalenka raised her game and steadied her mind when necessary.It was very high level. I really don’t know what else to say.
Jessica Pegula
I will go out on Saturday and fight for every point as if it were the last of my life.
Aryna Sabalenka
