Aryna Sabalenka has once again failed to reach the Wimbledon final. The world number one surprisingly lost to Amanda Anisimova on Thursday. The American will play against Iga Swiatek, who was far too strong for Belinda Bencic.
The score between Sabalenka and Anisimova was 6-4, 4-6, and 6-4. For the 27-year-old Sabalenka, it was the third time she reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon, and also the third time she lost.
For Anisimova, the world number twelve, it was the first time she competed in a semi-final at Wimbledon. Six years ago, she reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros. She will be in the final of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Anisimova surprised Sabalenka in the first set by taking a break to lead 5-4 and then winning the set on her own service. Sabalenka, who has won the Australian Open twice and the US Open once in her career, fought back in the second set.
She broke Anisimova’s serve at 3-3 and finished the set on her own serve, although she needed five set points to do so. In the third set, Anisimova took a 4-1 lead with two breaks. Although Sabalenka kept trying to get back into the set, Anisimova held on.
In the first set, Sabalenka also showed her best side outside of sports. She waited to serve because she saw a fan on the stand had become unwell. Sabalenka then walked to the side and brought her water bottle to the spectator.
Swiatek drops only two games
Later in the evening, Swiatek had no problem with Bencic. The score was 6-2 and 6-0. It is the first time that the five-time Grand Slam winner has reached the Wimbledon final.
The 24-year-old Swiatek, who was the world number one for a long time and is now fourth in the world rankings, has won Roland Garros four times and the US Open once. Before this year, she had never progressed past the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
The women’s Wimbledon final starts on Saturday at 17:00 Dutch time. Anisimova and Swiatek have never played a match against each other on the WTA Tour.
In the men’s semi-finals on Friday, Taylor Fritz will play Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner will play Novak Djokovic.
