AMANDA ANISIMOVA revealed that rewatching her traumatic Wimbledon final defeat inspired her stunning US Open victory over Iga Swiatek on Wednesday.
Two months after suffering a humiliating 6-0 6-0 loss to Swiatek in the Wimbledon final, Anisimova produced a remarkable turnaround to upset the second seed 6-4 6-3 in their quarter-final clash.
The eighth-seeded American disclosed she had prepared for the rematch by voluntarily reviewing footage of her harrowing Wimbledon experience despite its painful nature.
Anisimova explained that watching the replay helped her identify areas for improvement before supplementing it with positive highlights to maintain confidence.
She emphasised the importance of playing without fear, a lesson learned from her Wimbledon disappointment and reinforced throughout this tournament.
Swiatek attributed her defeat to service struggles, managing only a 50% first serve success rate and winning just 10 of 30 second serve points.
The Polish star acknowledged Anisimova’s dramatically improved performance, noting her better movement and overall game compared to their Wimbledon encounter.
The match began ominously for Anisimova when she was broken in the opening game, but she immediately broke back to level the set.
She faced significant pressure in the fifth game, saving two break points at 15-40 before holding serve for a 3-2 lead.
The crucial breakthrough came in the tenth game when Swiatek’s service problems resurfaced, giving Anisimova two set points which she converted to take the first set.
Swiatek attempted to fight back in the second set, securing an early break to lead 2-0 before Anisimova once again exploited her opponent’s serving vulnerabilities.
A fortunate net cord helped Anisimova establish a 4-3 advantage before Swiatek double-faulted on break point, leaving the American serving for the match.
Anisimova raced to triple match point at 40-0, and though Swiatek saved two points, another net cord ultimately sealed the victory beyond the Pole’s reach.
Anisimova will now face two-time champion Naomi Osaka in Thursday’s semi-finals. – AFP
