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American beats Polish rival 6-4, 6-3 to make semi-finals
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Meeting with Karolina Muchova or Naomi Osaka up next
Amanda Anisimova conjured the performance of her career on Wednesday afternoon in New York, banishing the ghosts of her Wimbledon nightmare with a sensational 6-4, 6-3 quarter-final victory against second-seeded Iga Swiatek in 1hr 36min. Less than eight weeks after she had been double-bagelled by the Polish star in the final at the All England Club, the 24-year-old American struck back with fearless ball-striking and nerveless resolve to reach her first US Open semi-final.
Swiatek, a six-time major champion and the 2022 US Open winner, looked intent on reprising the script when she broke immediately to extend her personal run to 13 consecutive games in the rivalry. But the eighth-seeded Anisimova struck back on her third break point, finishing with a thumping forehand overhead that drew a roar from the Arthur Ashe crowd and ensured this would bear no resemblance to the rout in July. “Honestly, when I wasn’t able to hold in that first game, I was really, like, OK, here we go,” Anisimova admitted afterwards. “Winning that first game kind of took some stress off my shoulders. Once I got it, I was easing into the match.”
