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Amanda Anisimova rallied from a set down to defeat four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 6-7(4) 7-6(3) 6-3 on Thursday and reach the U.S. Open final, where she will take on holder Aryna Sabalenka for another shot at a maiden major crown.
World number one Sabalenka came through her own thriller, beating home hope Jessica Pegula 4-6 6-3 6-4 , but it was Anisimova’s stunning display two months after her brutal Wimbledon final defeat that lit up Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“Oh my God. It means the world,” the 24-year-old Anisimova said after reaching her first final at Flushing Meadows.
“I’m trying to process that right now. It’s absolutely a dream come true. This has been a dream of mine like forever to be in the U.S. Open final and the hope is to be the champion.”
Twice New York winner Osaka was playing in her first Grand Slam semi-final since 2021 and embraced the big occasion in the prime-time glare of Arthur Ashe Stadium.The pair twice traded breaks in a tight opening set, and after a delayed line call by the automated system disrupted play Osaka refocused and let out a big roar when Anisimova hit a shot into the net on set point in the tiebreak. The 23rd seed struggled to carry the momentum forward in the next set, however, with Anisimova matching Osaka’s intensity. After the players traded ferocious hits for 12 games in the next set, Anisimova pounced in the tiebreak to drag the match to a deciding set.
The eighth seed, who lost 6-0 6-0 to Iga Swiatek at the All England Club, powered ahead 4-1 thanks to a forehand winner and held her nerve from there to secure the victory and reach back-to-back Grand Slam finals.
