Amanda Anisimova Shocks Iga Swiatek in US Open Quarterfinals

Amanda Anisimova turned the tennis world on its head Wednesday, as she defeated world No. 2 Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-3 in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. This victory came less than two months after Anisimova lost to Swiatek in the Wimbledon final, a staggering 6-0, 6-0 loss. For Anisimova, this was not just an upset. This was redemption.

Having clinched her third career Grand Slam semifinal – and first at Flushing Meadows – Anisimova paused for reflection, taking in the enormity of the match with spectators in Arthur Ashe Stadium. “To come back like that from Wimbledon is really special to me. I feel like I have worked so hard to try to turn around from that… today is really special,” she said.

Redemption after a Wimbledon collapse

Their match at Centre Court in a July, lasted 57 minutes. Anisimova could only manage 24 total points; she was clearly outmatched by the speed and shape of Swiatek’s shots. But on Wednesday, she had bettered that point total before she even finished the first set.

Swiatek, who won the 2022 U.S. Open, was impressed that Anisimova had improved. “Everybody knows how Amanda can play. Yeah she didn’t play well in Wimbledon, but it’s not like she is always going to do the same mistakes or feel the same,” Swiatek said.

It was easy to spot the change in mentality. Anisimova was tearful during her runner-up speech at Wimbledon. In New York, she radiated smile as smiles were all around her during the post-match interview. “Playing here is so freaking special,” she told the fans. “I’ve been having the run of my life here.”

A Grizzled Performance at Flushing Meadows

Her performance was mashing, steady, and fierce. While she got broken in the first game while missing three consecutive forehands, she immediately broke her back after. From there, she started to take advantage with her ability to hit those flat, punishing groundstrokes. She made 23 winners—10 more than Swiatek—and had only 12 unforced errors.

Swiatek, on the other hand, struggled serving. She only made 50% of her first serves, and got broken four times. “I couldn’t win this match today with my serve,” she admitted. “And with Amanda being so aggressive with her returns.”

The second set started basically like the first set. Anisimova went down 0-2 again before rebound again to win six of the last seven games. Swiatek’s frustrations were clearly growing–arms sprawled to her box, eyes bewildered–while Anisimova was calm. When Swiatek double-faulted at 3-5, Anisimova served calmly and solidly to win the match.

“She is one of the toughest players I have ever played,” Anisimova said. “I was just trying to fire myself up from the get-go. I knew I was going to have to dig deep.”

Semifinal Match-Up Next

Now, Anisimova will advance to face either Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, who defeated Coco Gauff earlier this week, or Karolina Muchova, who has quietly been having her own great run through this tournament. Regardless, Thursday’s semifinal will be another step in a story that is shaping up into a comeback.

Anisimova was born in New Jersey and raised in Florida, and has shown that a devastating loss does not define one’s career. This U.S. Open is writing a new chapter—and the fans are all in.