Amanda Anisimova is through to her first Wimbledon final, after defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in three sets on Centre Court.
Anisimova triumphed over Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, to become the first American since Serena Williams in 2019 to reach the championship match in SW19.
The loss for the Belarusian marks her third near-miss at majors this year, having bowed out in the final of both the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
While her search for a fourth Grand Slam title goes on, Anisimova’s dream run at Wimbledon continues.
Analysing her compatriot’s performance, former WTA number one Tracy Austin pinpointed how the US star was able to get over the line against arguably the best player in the world.
Tracy Austin reacts to Amanda Anisimova’s victory at Wimbledon
Speaking on BBC, Austin said: “I was so impressed, first of all, with the way Anisimova played. That is top-flight tennis with the serve, the return, landing within three feet of the baseline consistently.
“She put Sabalenka on her heels, which is hard to do. Sabalenka is usually the one driving the bus and making everyone else move and coming to the net, and having so much depth on her shots.
“Anisimova, there were a few times it looked like she was getting nervous, but she just rebounded.
“She lost her serve, lost that match point and then picked it up. Immediately got to 0-40 with a little bit of variety.
“All of that work coming together in the semi-finals of Wimbledon and the way she handled it, I am so proud of her.”
Amanda Anisimova becomes the fourth player to achieve incredible feat
Anisimova is now the fourth player since 1990 to defeat the world number one en route to a maiden major final.
She follows Zina Garrison, Marion Bartoli, and Sabine Lisicki in the list of players to have achieved the feat in the last 35 years.
The 23-year-old is also now just the third player, after Kiki Bertens and Marketa Vondrousova, to defeat Sabalenka on all three surfaces at tour-level events.
With her semi-final victory at Wimbledon, she extended her winning record against the three-time Grand Slam champion to 6-3.
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