Amanda Anisimova booked her place in a second straight Grand Slam final with a dramatic late-night victory over Naomi Osaka at the US Open, setting up a blockbuster clash with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
The 24-year-old American, still chasing her first major title, battled back from a set down to defeat four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 in a pulsating semi-final that finished at 12:54am inside a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The win capped a remarkable resurgence for Anisimova, who avenged her humiliating double-bagel defeat to Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon by knocking the world No 2 out in the quarter-finals, before showing resilience and firepower to deny Osaka a dream return to the big stage.
“This has been a dream of mine forever to be in a US Open final,” said Anisimova. “At times I wasn’t sure I would make it to the finish line, but I tried to stay positive and enjoy the moment. Obviously, the hope now is to be the champion.”
Osaka, contesting her first Grand Slam semi-final since 2021 after returning from maternity leave, stormed through the opening set but faded physically as Anisimova raised her level in the closing stages.
“I don’t feel sad,” Osaka reflected. “I did the best I could. Honestly, it’s kind of inspiring for me. It makes me want to train and try to get better.”
Sabalenka Battles Past Pegula
Earlier in the night, world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka kept her title defence hope alive with a gutsy 4-6 6-3 6-4 win over Jessica Pegula.
In a rematch of last year’s final, Pegula claimed the opening set with inspired shot-making but Sabalenka’s relentless power eventually told. The Belarusian struck 43 winners, including eight aces, to book her third consecutive US Open final.
“It was a really tough match and she played incredible tennis as always,” said Sabalenka. “I had to work really hard to get this win. I’ll go out there on Saturday and fight for every point like it’s the last of my life.”
Victory keeps Sabalenka on course to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to successfully defend the US Open crown.
British Hopes Alive in New York
There was further good news for British tennis as Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski reached the men’s doubles final with a 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 win over Yuki Bhambri and Michael Venus.
They will aim to become the first all-British pair in over 100 years to lift the title at Flushing Meadows.
In juniors, defending champion Mika Stojsavljevic and compatriot Hannah Klugman both advanced to the girls’ singles semi-finals, raising the prospect of an all-British final.