Sabalenka beaten in semis as Swiatek moves to final

World number one, Aryna Sabalenka, entered the semifinal as the favourite but was toppled by the 13th-seeded Amanda Anisimova in a tense three-set battle that ended 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Sabalenka, who had previously reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in both 2021 and 2023, looked poised to finally break through to her first final at SW19.

However, despite leading by a break in the deciding set, she faltered at crucial moments, allowing Anisimova to storm back and seal the biggest win of her career.

Sabalenka’s serve, usually a weapon, was inconsistent under pressure. She managed six aces but also committed four double faults and struggled to convert break points, going just 3-for-14 in those opportunities. 

Anisimova, meanwhile, was quite calm, saving her best tennis for the closing stages and taking advantage of Sabalenka’s frayed nerves. After the match, Sabalenka joked about her “hate relationship” with Wimbledon, having now lost in the semifinals three times.

On the other side of the draw, Poland’s Iga Swiatek produced a near-flawless display to dispatch Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-0 in just 72 minutes. 

The five-time Grand Slam champion, long regarded as a clay-court specialist, has finally cracked the grass-court code. Swiatek led from the outset, breaking Bencic’s serve repeatedly and never allowing her opponent to settle.

This victory marks Swiatek’s first appearance in a Wimbledon final and her seventh major final overall. Reflecting on her achievement, she admitted, “Honestly, I never even dreamed that it’s going to be possible for me to play in the final. I thought I had experienced everything on the court but I didn’t experience playing well on grass, so that’s the first time”.

Amanda Anisimova’s journey to the final is a one of perseverance. Just two years ago, she took a break from tennis, struggling with burnout and a plummeting ranking. Now, she finds herself in her maiden Grand Slam final after toppling the world’s best and she looks like she has as much chance as Swiatek to take home the title on Saturday.