Watch: American Amanda Anisimova reaches her first Wimbledon semifinal
July 8 (UPI) -- Amanda Anisimova, who reached her first major semifinal at the 2019 French Open before taking a mental health break from tennis, is finally headed back to the same stage after winning a quarterfinal Tuesday at Wimbledon.
The 23-year-old American, who was 17 during her Paris run, beat No. 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 6-1, 7-6(9) in the 99-minute quarterfinal at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club.
"It's been an extraordinary year for me," Anisimova said on the ESPN broadcast. "So many highs. It's just been such a ride. I've been enjoying every step of the way.
"Even times like today, when you're not sure you're going to cross the finish line. I just keep reminding myself to enjoy the moment. It's not often you get to play on this special court in front of so many special people."
Anisimova edged Pavlyuchenkova 6-0 in aces and 26-9 in winners in the quarterfinal win. She also converted 4 of 10 break point chances and totaled 27 unforced errors, compared to 1 of 5 conversions and 28 unforced errors from the Russian.
With her 2019 French Open run, which included wins over No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and former world No. 1 Simona Halep of Romania, among others, the American became a Top 25 player. Anisimova's father died later that year, leading to her withdrawal from the U.S. Open.
Anisimova reached the Wimbledon 2022 quarterfinals, but struggled at other majors and slid down the rankings. Injuries and a bout with COVID-19 further hindered her ability to succeed at majors.
The American announced in May 2023 that she had struggled with her mental health since the summer of 2022 and needed an indefinite break from the sport. She returned to the court in January 2024, the start of last season, when she ranked outside the Top 400.
Anismova slowly worked back up the rankings, starting with a fourth-round run at the 2024 Australian Open, which ended with a loss to Sabalenka. She followed that making her first career WTA 1000-level final at the Canadian Open, which resulted in a move inside the Top 50 of the WTA rankings.
She lost in the second round of the 2024 French Open and first round of the 2024 U.S. Open. Anisimova started her 2025 campaign with a second-round exit at the Australian Open, but earned her first WTA 1000-level title in February at the Qatar Ladies Open. She then advanced to the fourth round of the French Open, resulting in a rise to a career-best No. 12 ranking.
With her win Tuesday, Anisimova became the youngest American Wimbledon semifinalist since Serena Williams (22) in 2004. She will meet Sabalenka in a semifinal Thursday in London.
Sabalenka survived an upset bid from No. 104 Laura Siegemund of Germany to win her quarterfinal 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Anisimova is 5-3 in career matches against Sabalenka. Sabalenka won three of their last four meetings, including their Round of 16 matchup at the 2024 Australian Open.
No. 5 Taylor Fritz of the United States beat No. 20 Karen Khachanov of Russia in the first men's quarterfinal of Day 9. No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain then beat No. 61 Cameron Norrie of Great Britain. Alcaraz will take on Fritz in a men's semifinal Friday in London.
No. 4 Iga Swiatek of Poland will play No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia in the first women's quarterfinal of Day 10. No. 7 Mirra Andreeva of Russia will face No. 35 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the final women's quarterfinal.
No. 1 Jannik Sinner will meet No. 10 Ben Shelton of the United States in the first men's quarterfinal of Day 10. No. 6 Novak Djokovic of Serbia will play No. 24 Flavio Cobolli of Italy in the last men's quarterfinal.
Wimbledon 2025: Aryna Sabalenka, Taylor Fritz reach semifinals
Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka plays a backhand in her quarterfinal match against Germany's Laura Siegemund during the 2025 Wimbledon Championships in London on July 8, 2025. Sabalenka won 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo
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