What happened the first time Aryna Sabalenka played against Amanda Anisimova at a Grand Slam six years ago

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Amanda Anisimova and Aryna Sabalenka will lock horns for the first time in a Grand Slam final when they meet on Saturday at the US Open.

Sabalenka admitted that she will have to try something different against Anisimova this time, following her defeat in the Wimbledon semifinal.

The match, however, does feel intriguing, with Sabalenka looking to win her maiden Grand Slam of 2025 and Anisimova going in search of a first one in her career.

Anisimova gave some kind words to Naomi Osaka after winning her semifinal, and after being thrashed by Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon, she will have her sights on a first major.

Intriguingly, Anisimova and Sabalenka have had some brilliant matches over the years, with the first-ever meeting between the two seeing Anisimova stun the Belarusian at the Australian Open.

• READ MORE: Jessica Pegula posts funny message to Aryna Sabalenka after losing to her

What happened when Amanda Anisimova played Aryna Sabalenka for the first time

Sabalenka was down at 11th in the world rankings when she faced Anisimova for the first time at the Australian Open in 2019.

Sabalenka had not been beyond the fourth round of a major at that point and the match did come before she started to reach the latter stages of every Grand Slam tournament she entered.

However, Anisimova was a 17-year-old rank outsider sitting in 87th place in the WTA rankings and sent shockwaves across tennis with this win.

Anisimova became the first player born in the 2000s to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam with this win, which she took out 6-3, 6-2 to reach the last 16.

Remarkably, Anisimova has only played in two other Grand Slams before this event and had been beaten at the first hurdle in both of them.

She smashed 21 winners during this famous win, and after the match, Anisimova was beaming as she delivered praise to Sabalenka.

She told the WTA: “I was expecting a really tough match, she’s a great player, so I really can’t believe I got through this round.

“I’m feeling really good out here. I played some great tennis.”

Anisimova leads Sabalenka in head-to-head

Intriguingly, although Sabalenka has been a dominant force in tennis in recent years, Anisimova goes into this match with a small edge in the head-to-head.

Anisimova also won the most recent match between the two at a Grand Slam, and it will be hard for the American to temper her excitement ahead of this one.

Although she was beaten by Swiatek at Wimbledon, this is entirely different and the hope will be that she can use the experience of reaching a previous final to her advantage.

Naturally, Sabalenka cannot be discounted from winning the title given what she’s achieved in the game, but this final promises to be an absolute blockbuster.