It was redemption for Amanda Anisimova. Just over two months ago, she was completely annihilated by Iga Swiatek in an embarrassing 6-0, 6-0 defeat in the Wimbledon final. But tough as she is, Anisimova, carrying the American hopes, played some solid, unflinching tennis to beat Iga Swiatek 6-4,6-3, and reached her maiden US Open semi-final.
The Arthur Ashe stadium, cheering vociferously for Anisimova, went into a rapturous applause as the American held her nerve and her serve and won the match on a lucky net chord.
What impressed me most was the composure of Anisimova right through the match. She was terrific with her groundstrokes, served consistently well, played well on big points, and moved brilliantly on the court. From the stats, there was nothing much between the two players, but Anisimova came up with the goods when it mattered most, winning 4 of the 9 break points that came her way and exhibiting a much tougher mental side of her sporting persona.
Her performance on the second serve was much better and the deciding factor in the direction the match went. She won 56% of the points on her second serve while Iga Swiatek won just 37%, which ultimately tilted the match in Anisimova’s favour.
Anisimova was very sedate with her victory celebrations, which was good to see. She had displayed tremendous maturity in victory and would be a tough opponent for 2-time US Open Champion Naomi Osaka in the semis.
There is all to play for.
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