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UPI
10-07-2025
- Sport
- UPI
Wimbledon: American Amanda Anisimova upsets Aryna Sabalenka to reach first major final
American Amanda Anisimova celebrates after beating Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in a Wimbledon 2025 women's singles semifinal Thursday in London. Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA July 10 (UPI) -- A year ago, Amanda Anisimova failed to qualify for Wimbledon's main draw. On Thursday, the American provided a gutsy effort to upset the world's top player at the grass-court major and reach her first Grand Slam final. Anisimova broke Aryna Sabalenka's serve three times and needed four match point chances to stun the Belarusian for the 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win. She will meet No. 4 Iga Swiatek -- a former No. 1 -- of Poland or No. 35 Belinda Bencic -- an Olympic gold medalist -- of Switzerland in the finale Saturday in London. "This doesn't feel real right now, honestly," Anisimova said on the ESPN broadcast. "Aryna is such a tough competitor. I was absolutely dying out there. I don't know how I pulled it out. "She is such an incredible competitor. She is an inspiration to me and so many other people. We've had so many tough battles. To come out on top and be in the final of Wimbledon is so incredibly special." With her victory, Anisimova became the first American since Serna Williams in 2019 to reach a Wimbledon final. She also improved to 6-3 in career matches against Sabalenka. The 23-year-old Florida native, who took a mental health-related hiatus from tennis in 2023 and ranked outside the Top 400 to start 2024, will climb inside the Top 10 due to her performance at Wimbledon. She is currently set to move from No. 12 to No. 7, but could rise to No. 5 if she wins the final. "To be honest, if you'd told me I'd be in the final of Wimbledon, I would not believe you," Anisimova said. "At least not this soon. It's been a year turnaround since coming back. "To be in this spot, it's not easy. So many people dream of competing on this incredible court. It's been such a privilege to compete here. To be in the final is just indescribable, honestly." Sabalenka, 27, was attempting to punch her third finals ticket in her last four Grand Slam appearances -- and first Wimbledon finale berth. The three-time major champion ripped through her early matches, winning four of five in straight sets at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club. She deployed her patented power and edged Anisimova 6-2 in aces and 27-25 in winners, but converted just 2 of 12 break point opportunities in the 2-hour, 37-minute semifinal. Anisimova leaned on her backhand, remained focused and capitalized on rare opportunities to take aggressive swats for clutch winners. Anisimova and Sabalenka each held serve through the first nine games of the semifinal. Sabalenka then double-faulted to end the set, giving Anisimova her first break. The semifinal foes held serve again through the first six games of the second set. Anisimova then double-faulted in the seventh game to give Sabalenka a break point. The Belarusian went on to earn set point when Anisimova hit a return into the net. Heat continued to drain energy from both tennis stars as they wrestled for momentum. Sabalenka broke Anisimova to start the final set, but went long on a return in the second game to gift a break point to the American. Anisimova then held and earned another break point in the fourth game to take control. She followed the break with another hold for a 4-1 advantage. Both players held in the next three games. Sabalenka roared back for a break point to tighten the match in the ninth game, but would lose the match when Anisimova swatted a long forehand into the corner off her final service game. No. 5 Taylor Fritz of the United States will meet No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the first of two men's semifinals Friday at Wimbledon No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy will take on No. 6 Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the second semifinal of Day 12. Wimbledon 2025: Championship moments on the court Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates victory in his third round match against Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff on Day 5 of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships in London on July 4, 2025. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo
UPI
08-07-2025
- Sport
- UPI
Watch: American Amanda Anisimova reaches her first Wimbledon semifinal
1 of 4 | Amanda Anisimova celebrates after beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a Wimbledon 2025 quarterfinal Tuesday in London. Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA 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
UPI
07-07-2025
- Sport
- UPI
Novak Djokovic overcomes slow start to reach 16th Wimbledon QF
1 of 5 | Serbian Novak Djokovic plays a forehand against Australian Alex de Minaur during a fourth-round match at Wimbledon 2025 on Monday in London. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo July 7 (UPI) -- Novak Djokovic struggled to combat Alex de Minaur's quickness early on before adjusting to overcome a sluggish start and beat the Australian to reach his 16th Wimbledon quarterfinal Monday in London. "I'm still trying to process the whole match and what happened on the court," Djokovic said on the ESPN broadcast. "It wasn't a great start for me. It was a great start for him obviously." Djokovic held a 6-1 advantage in aces and 38-29 edge in winners. De Minaur, the No. 11 player in the world, broke the Serbian three times in the opening set to storm ahead 6-1. Djokovic totaled 16 unforced errors in the opening set, compared to just five from de Minaur, while batting swirling winds and de Minaur's rapid reactions. Djokovic, ranked No. 6, responded with a dominant second set. He converted all three of his break point chances and fired three aces to even the match. He fired another three aces and broke de Minaur again in the third set to snatch momentum. The Serbian broke the Australian two more times in the fourth set to close out the 3-hour, 19-minute match. "He was just managing better the play from the back of the court," Djokovic said. "I didn't have many solutions to be honest, but I kinda of reset myself in the second set." Djokovic will meet No. 24 Flavio Cobolli of Italy in the quarterfinals. Cobolli beat No. 83 Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(3) in his fourth-round match. No. 10 Ben Shelton of the United States also advanced Monday with a four-set victory over No. 47 Lorenzo Sonego of Italy. With three more wins, Djokovic can tie tennis legend Roger Federer for the most Wimbledon singles titles (eight) of any men's player. The winner of the Djokovic-Cobolli quarterfinal will face No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy, Shelton or No. 21 Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in the semifinals. No. 7 Mirra Andreeva of Russia beat No. 10 Emma Navarro of the United States in a women's Round of 16 match Monday in London. No. 35 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland beat No. 17 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia in another fourth-round meeting. No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia also advanced. No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will face No. 104 Laura Siegmund of Germany in the first of two women''s quarterfinals Tuesday at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club. No. 12 Amanda Anisimova of the United States will take on No. 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in the other quarterfinal. No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain will take on No. 61 Cameron Norrie of the United Kingdom in one of two men's singles quarterfinals on Day 8 of the grass-court Grand Slam. No. 5 Taylor Fritz of the United States will battle No. 20 Karen Khachanov of Russia in Tuesday's other men's singles quarterfinal. Quarterfinal coverage will air from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT Tuesday on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+. Wimbledon 2025: Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton advance Serbian Novak Djokovic plays a forehand in match against Australia's Alex de Minaur during the 2025 Wimbledon Championships in London on July 7, 2025. Djokovic won 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo
UPI
03-07-2025
- Sport
- UPI
Wimbledon 2025: Novak Djokovic 'executes perfectly' in Round 2 sweep
1 of 5 | Serbian Novak Djokovic plays a backhand against Great Britain's Daniel Evans in a Wimbledon 2025 second-round match Thursday in London. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo July 3 (UPI) -- Novak Djokovic expressed pride in his performance Thursday, telling the crowd he "executed perfectly" in a 107-minute sweep of Daniel Evans, which helped him advance to Wimbledon's third round for a record 19th time. "Obviously, I knew I was prepared well for the match," Djokovic said in his on-court interview "Technically, tactically, I knew exactly what I needed to do and I executed perfectly. Sometimes you have those kind of days." The sixth-ranked Serbian totaled 11 aces, 46 winners, 14 unforced errors and converted 6 of 16 break point opportunities in the 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 win in London. Evans, of Great Britain, logged five aces, 19 winners and 18 unforced errors. The No. 154 player in the ATP singles rankings went 0 for 2 in break point conversions. Djokovic will face fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic (No. 49) in the third round. Kecmanovic beat No. 106 Jesper de Jong of the Netherlands in four sets in his second-round match. With Thursday's win, Djokovic earned his 99th Wimbledon singles victory -- the third-most in history at the grass-court major. Djokovic also is eying a record-setting eighth Wimbledon title. "It means I've been playing quite a long time ...19 times, that's a great stat," Djokovic said. "That's probably as much as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have years in their lives. "This sport has given me so much. I've said this a million times before, but I'll say it again: Wimbledon stays the most special tournament in my heart. The one I dreamed of winning as a kid." No. 7 Mirra Andreeva of Russia and No. 10 Emma Navarro of the United States also picked up straight-sets victories Wednesday at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club. "I'm just super happy I managed to push myself to fight until the end and to try and play aggressive, which was not easy," Andreeva said. Navarro first moved on with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over No. 36 Veronika Kudermetova. She just 74 minutes to dispatch the Russian. Andreeva followed with a 6-1, 7-6(4) win over No. 63 Lucia Bronzetti of Italy. The 18-year-old Russian needed just 93 minutes to earn that second-round win. Andreeva will take on No. 55 Hailey Baptiste of the United States in the third round. Navarro will meet No. 16 Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic or No. 67 Caroline Dolehide of the United States in her third-round match. The winner of that meeting will face Andreeva or Baptiste in the fourth round. No. 54 Danielle Collins of the United States also advanced through the early wave of second-round matches Thursday in London. She beat No. 171 Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia 6-4, 6-1. Collins will take on No. 4 Iga Swiatek of Poland or fellow American Caty McNally (No. 208) in the third round. No. 11 Alex de Minaur of Australia, No. 17 Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic and No. 24 Flavio Cobolli of Italy were among the top men's players to advance early Thursday. No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy, No. 4 Jack Draper of Great Britain and Americans Ben Shelton (No. 10) and Tommy Paul (No. 13) will be in action later on Day 4. No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will be the top player in action on Day 5. Andreeva, No. 8 Madison Keys of the United States and several fellow Americans, including Navarro, Baptiste, Collins and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova also will play in Friday's third-round slate. Thursday's second-round coverage is to air until 4 p.m. EDT on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. Third-round coverage will air from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday on the same platforms. Top tennis stars compete at Wimbledon 2025 Italian Jannik Sinner plays a backhand in his match against Italian Luca Nardi in the first round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships in London on July 1, 2025. Sinner won 6-4, 6-3, 6-0. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo
UPI
02-07-2025
- Sport
- UPI
Wimbledon: 'Mentally overwhelmed' Coco Gauff among many upset victims
1 of 3 | American Coco Gauff looks on during her loss to Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska in the first round of Wimbledon 2025 on Tuesday in London. Photo by Daniel Hambury/EPA-EFE July 2 (UPI) -- Coco Gauff was "mentally overwhelmed" before becoming one of the 23 seeded players who failed to win Wimbledon 2025 openers, setting a record for the grass court major and tied the mark for any Grand Slam in history. The top-ranked American (No. 2) advanced to at least the quarterfinals in five of her last seven majors, including her first French Open title, but lasted just 79 minutes in London. "I'm trying to be positive," Gauff told reporters with tears in her eyes. "After the match, I was definitely struggling in the locker room. I don't like losing. "I'm sure my team and everyone is going to tell me I did well in Roland-Garros and to not be so upset, but I really don't like losing." No. 42 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine topped Gauff 16-6 in winners and broke the American's serve four times in the 7-6(3), 6-1 victory Tuesday at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club. Gauff said she couldn't find her footing and cited difficulty she faced in making the switch from Rolland-Garros' clay courts to the grass surfaces of the third major of the season, but also gave credit to her first-round foe. "I feel like mentally, I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards," Gauff said. "So, I didn't feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it. "It's the first time of this experience of coming off a win and having to play Wimbledon. I definitely learned a lot of what I would and would not do again." Gauff beat No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus for her first French Open title June 7 in Paris. She played one grass-court match June 19 before starting her run Tuesday in London. Yastremska, a 2024 Australian Open semifinalist, was knocked out in the third round of the 2025 French Open, losing May 30 to No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia. She then played eight combined matches between two grass-court tournaments leading into Wimbledon. "I would say the quick turnaround, most of the seeds are going deeper in Roland-Garros and then you spend the long clay season and you have to come and try to adjust to grass," Gauff said. "Some people play the week before. ... But its not an easy quick turnaround. "If you are going deep in Roland-Garros, you are debating on 'Do I rush and play that week or take time and play the week before?' It's a trick thing. "It seems like [second-ranked] Carlos Alcaraz and [No. 6] Novak Djokovic are the ones to figure it out, and even [Alcaraz] had a tough first-round match. I think it's just a combination of everything. "I don't know if it's just the [weather] conditions this year. I think this slam out of all of them is the most prone to have upsets just because of how quick the turnaround is from clays." With her loss, Gauff joined seeded No. 3 Jessica Pegula of the United States, No. 5 Zheng Qinwen of China, No. 9 Paula Badosa of Spain, No. 15 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic, No. 20 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, No. 25 Magdalena Frech of Poland, No. 26 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, No. 27 Magda Linette of Poland and No. 32 McCartney Kessler of the United States as players who failed to advance to the second round of Wimbledon 2025. Meanwhile, 13 men's seeds are already out of the draw, setting a Wimbledon record and tying the all-time major mark -- from the 2004 Australian Open -- for the most seeded men's players to not advance to the second round of a Grand Slam. They were No. 3 Alexander Zverev of Germany, No. 7 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, No. 8 Holger Rune of Denmark, No. 9 Daniil Medvedev of Russia, No. 16 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina, No. 18 Ugo Humbert of France and, No. 20 Alexei Popyrin of Australia, Also, No. 24 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, No. 27 Denis Shapovalov of Canada, No. 28 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, No. 30 Alex Michelsen of the United States, No. 31 Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands and No. 32 Matteo Berrettini of Italy. Gauff's loss was just her second first-round exit over her last 14 Grand Slam appearances, with two of her last three in Wimbledon openers. She won two titles and made eight quarterfinal appearances, five semifinals and eight quarterfinals over her most recent 14 major tournament span. "Obviously, I'm not going to dwell on this too long because I want to do well at the U.S. Open," Gauff said. "Maybe losing here in the first round isn't the worst because I have some time to reset, but it definitely sucks." Yastremska will face No. 95 Anastasia Zakharova of Russia in the second round of Wimbledon. Zakharova, a Wimbledon qualifier, beat No. 87 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in her opener. Sabalenka, world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, No. 13 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, No. 15 Diana Shnaider of Russia and Americans Madison Keys (No. 8) and Amanda Anisimova (No. 12) are among the top women in action in Wednesday's second round. Alcaraz of Spain, No. 14 Alexander Rublev of Russia and Americans Taylor Fritz (No. 5) and Frances Tiafoe (No. 12) are the top men playing Wednesday. Second-round coverage airs from 6 a.m. through 4 p.m. EDT Wednesday on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. Coverage of the round will continue at the same time Thursday on those platforms. Top tennis stars compete at Wimbledon 2025 Italian Jannik Sinner plays a backhand in his match against Italian Luca Nardi in the first round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships in London on July 1, 2025. Sinner won 6-4, 6-3, 6-0. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo
