Aunt Anisimova rocks with Jackson after reaching Wimbledon semis
Anisimova collapsed flat on her face in sheer relief after she survived an astonishing, and unexpected, fightback from Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to secure a 6-1 7-6(9) victory and set up a fascinating showdown with world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Once a beaming Anisimova had lifted herself off the ground, she scooped up her three-year-old nephew Jackson for a victory lap.
By then it was hard to tell who was more excited, Anisimova or Jackson, who could be heard shouting out to his aunt mid-rally on numerous occasions.
"It has been an extraordinary year for me with so many highs. I am enjoying every step of the way and, even in times like today I keep reminding myself to enjoy the moment," said Anisimova, whose only previous appearance in a Grand Slam semi-final was at the French Open six years ago.
"My nephew has never seen a match of mine in my life, so it was super special, and to get the win also on top of that is just an incredible experience."
With the American 13th seed leading 6-1 5-2, Pavlyuchenkova was left wishing she could disappear through a Wimbledon trapdoor as she was bamboozled by a cocktail of blazing backhands, ferocious forehands and nifty footwork.
But just when it seemed that Anisimova had one foot in the last four, the 34-year-old Russian's game suddenly caught fire and she won three games in a row.
Pavlyuchenkova saved two match points in the 10th game, including hitting a gutsy dropshot winner that completely caught Anisimova by surprise.
With the world number 50 suddenly believing she could turn the match around, an emotional Anisimova looked like she was on the verge of breaking down, mouthing to her support group "one more point" as the Russian kept earning set points in the tiebreak.
SUPER SPECIAL
Anisimova, at 23 more than a decade younger than her opponent, saved all five set points against her before sealing victory when Pavlyuchenkova netted a service return on the American's fourth match point.
"It was such a battle today. I was up in the second set and she started playing some unreal tennis," Anisimova, who took an eight-month break from the sport two years ago after complaining of burnout, told the crowd.
"I just kept fighting and that tiebreak was super stressful, but I'm just so happy I got it done. I'm happy to be in the semi-final for the first time, it's super special.
"It's a super special turnaround for me, considering where I was a year ago and losing in the quallies here last year, which was a bit heartbreaking," added the player who was ranked 189th a year ago.
There were plenty of special moments for Anisimova during the contest in which rallies were in short supply. By the end of the 99-minute tussle, the stats showed that an average rally lasted less than three shots as Pavlyuchenkova's game collapsed under an avalanche of unforced errors.
During the blink-and-you-will miss first set, the 2021 French Open runner-up produced only three winners while her unforced error count stood at 12. That kind of showing was never going to be enough to get past an opponent Pavlyuchenkova had never beaten in three previous meetings.
Last time she had contested the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2016, she ran into an impenetrable wall called Serena Williams.
On Tuesday, she left the court in floods of tears.
"First set I thought she was playing incredible. I couldn't touch the ball," said Pavlyuchenkova, who did not know whether she would be able to compete at Wimbledon after being diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus and Lyme disease this year.
"When I actually started to feel better, it was already 6-1, 5-2. Then I just fought till the end. I gave everything I had. Came back from match points down... so that really sucks.
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