Prior to Tuesday, Amanda Anisimova had never advanced past the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. That’s no longer the case. Anisimova is moving on to the semifinals after a 6-1, 7-6 win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Tuesday.
It was a dominant performance by Anisimova early, allowing Pavlyuchenkova to take just one game in the first set.
Advertisement
Things weren’t as easy in the second set. Despite getting out to a strong lead, Anisimova struggled to put Pavlyuchenkova away. A late rally by Pavlyuchenkova made it 5-5 in the second set. After the two traded games, the second set went to a tiebreak.
In a tiebreak that lasted 20 points, it was Anisimova who eventually came out on top thanks to a final winner.
Anisimova’s serve was a major weapon throughout the match, picking up six aces and 26 winners.
The win marks the farthest Anisimova has advanced at Wimbledon during her career. She previously reached the quarterfinals back in 2022, where she lost to Simona Halep. The win also matches Anisimova’s best performance at a Grand Slam. The only other time she reached the semifinals came in the 2019 French Open, where she lost to Ashleigh Barty.
Advertisement
If Anisimova wants to reach a new career high at a Grand Slam, she’ll have to go through the No. 1 ranked women’s player, Aryna Sabalenka, who came back to defeat Laura Siegemund on Tuesday.
While Sabalenka will prove to be a step up for Anisimova, the American actually holds the advantage in head-to-head record. Anisimova has gone 5-3 against Sabalenka in their eight matches. One of those wins came during Anisimova’s run to the 2019 French Open semifinals.
Anisomova dominated those matchups earlier in her career, starting 4-0 against Sabalenka. But the women’s No. 1 has flipped the script recently, going 3-1 in their four most-recent matches. The last time the two squared off was at the 2025 French Open, where Sabalenka took Anisimova down in straight sets.
Advertisement
If Anisomova can keep up her momentum, she could become the first American woman to win the event since Serena Williams in 2016.
