Anisimova defeats Naomi Osaka and will play the US Open final with Sabalenka

New York (EFE).- American Amanda Anisimova won an epic duel against Japanese Naomi Osaka in New York early this Friday and will face Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka for the title of the US Open.

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Anisimova (world number 9) defeated Osaka (number 24) by 6(4)-7, 7-6(3) and 6-3 in 2 hours and 56 minutes. For Anisimova, it will be the second consecutive ‘Grand Slam’ final after the one lost almost two months ago at Wimbledon. It was a memorable duel in which the two tennis players bet on power, risk, and winners. Anisimova finished with 50 winning shots, many of them on the line, while Osaka had 32. The first two sets of Osaka and Anisimova were very similar: long (over an hour each), with ‘breaks’ that they couldn’t consolidate and both resolved in the tiebreak. Cristóbal Herrera-Ulashkevich In the second set, with 4-4 on serve, Anisimova saved a 40-0 with five consecutive points to take the ‘break’ and serve for the set, Osaka responded with three consecutive points on serve and breaking on her second opportunity. The first set had fallen on Osaka’s side in her third set ball, while the second went to Anisimova. Anisimova took control of the last set
Anisimova took control of the last set, in which with a ‘break’ advantage she reached 5-3 on serve. With 40-15, Osaka bared her claws, saved those two match points and had two break opportunities before Anisimova, finally, finished her off. “Naomi is playing incredible tennis. Really, she is where she belongs. Playing at this level after having a baby is impressive,” Anisimova said in on-court statements after the match. “He put me to the test for the final; I wasn’t sure if I could do it. I had to draw strength from deep within. It was, without a doubt, a great battle on the court today,” he added. Anisimova, originally from Freehold Township, a commuter town of New York, has risen from the humiliation suffered at Wimbledon, where she fell 6-0 and 6-0 to the Polish Iga Swiatek. Almost two months later, she returns to a ‘Grand Slam’ final with a brilliant victory over Osaka and after eliminating Swiatek in the quarterfinals: a true redemption. “It’s a dream come true. It’s been my dream forever: to be in the US Open final,” said Anisimova. Osaka, for her part, was pursuing her fifth ‘major’ after those conquered in New York in 2018 and 2020 and in Melbourne in 2019 and 2021. Until today, whenever she had reached a semi-final, she had been proclaimed champion. Despite the defeat, Osaka left a very clear message at this US Open: she’s back in the elite. The Japanese player will leave the tournament as number 12 in the world, entering the ‘Top 20’ of the WTA for the first time since 2022.