US Open women's final: Can Amanda Anisimova bounce back from Wimbledon final nightmare against the defending champion?
Saturday's2025 US Openwomen's singles final is rich in storylines. On one side of the net, AmericanAmanda Anisimovais looking to claim her first-ever grand slam title, just eight weeks after she suffered a devastating, historic loss in theWimbledon final. On the other side, world No. 1Aryna Sabalenkais hoping to defend her US Open crown and silence the doubters after what has been a rollercoaster season. The US Open women's singles final takes place Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium and is expected to start at 4 p.m. ET. The match can be watched on ESPN in the US, while viewers in Europe and the UK can catch the action on Eurosport and Sky Sports, respectively. A full list of broadcast partners can be foundhere. The world of elite sports is littered with examples of players and teams that nearly reached the very top, only to fall short at the proverbial finish line. It would have been very easy for Anisimova to join that long list. The American suffered a chastening 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Iga Świątek in the Wimbledon final eight weeks ago, the first time in the Open Era that a women's player has failed to win a single game in the final at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Anisimova could not hold back the tears in her on-court interview following the match. And yet, somehow, this year's US Open has seen the American not only make it past the third round of her home major for the first time, but return to a grand slam final at the first time of asking. "I think it just shows that I have worked really hard, especially on my mental game and not giving up," Anisimova said after her comeback semifinal victory over Naomi Osaka. "I think I have really worked on myself to really be able to handle those moments and to believe in myself, even when it feels like 'What is there to believe in?'" she added. "I think I have really done a better job of that, and especially since the Wimbledon final. I think I have really shifted with my attitude, as well." Perhaps we should be less surprised by her impressive return. Anisimova played some fantastic tennis at Wimbledon, and has continued to do so in New York. Fifty-three days after that final in London, Anisimova got her revenge with a straight-sets victory against Świątek in the quarterfinal, in which she overpowered the Polish player and hit 23 winners. The world No. 9 followed that up with a hard-fought win over Osaka, a match which for a long time looked destined to go the way of the four-time grand slam singles winner, before Anisimova won a second-set tiebreak and swung the momentum back in her favor. In Sabalenka, Anisimova is now preparing to face a player against whom, historically, she has had the upper hand. The American has won six of the pair's nine meetings, most recently a dramatic semifinal at Wimbledon in July. "We've had very, very tough matches," said Anisimova. "A lot of them have actually been at grand slams, too, especially early on in my career. But I think the standout one was probably Wimbledon. It was really a seesaw match, which is almost always the case when I play her." With both the head-to-head record and the home crowd in her favor, Anisimova will be hoping that Saturday is the day she claims her first ever grand slam title. For the third straight year, Sabalenka is looking to disappoint most of the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. In 2023, she started quickly but ultimately lost the final to Coco Gauff. The following year, she beat Jessica Pegula in straight sets. Now, in Anisimova, she is facing off against another member of America's newest golden generation. The Belarusian enters Saturday's match in a strange situation. Following last year's US Open final win – in which she just had too much power for Pegula – Sabalenka looked set to establish herself asthedominant force in women's tennis. In many ways, she has. The 27-year-old is the world No. 1 by a sizeable margin and has made two finals and one semifinal in the three grand slams since then. And yet she has lost on each occasion – toMadison Keysin the Australian Open final, to Gauff in the final atRoland Garrosand to Anisimova in that topsy-turvy Wimbledon semifinal eight weeks ago. Perhaps most concerningly for her fans, Sabalenka – never one to shy away from being vocal on the court – has occasionally let her emotions get the better of her, particularly at Roland Garros. "What happened in Paris, definitely not gonna happen here and never, you know," she said following her semifinal win over Pegula on Thursday. "I learned that lesson, and I will never behave that way. It's not me, you know. Yeah, I was super emotional. I let it go and let emotions take control over me, and it's not who I am. It's never gonna happen again." Sabalenka has been true to her word in New York, claiming straight-sets victories in her first four matches before progressing to the last four after Markéta Vondroušová withdrew with a knee injury. In the resulting semifinal, it was Pegula rather than Sabalenka who appeared to let her frustration get the better of her. After dropping a set for the first time this tournament, Sabalenka stormed back to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Her meeting with Anisimova – two months on from the Wimbledon final – means that, curiously, the American is not the only one looking to avenge what happened in London. "I think I have to trust myself, and I have to go after my shots," Sabalenka said of her approach to Saturday's final. "I felt like in that match at Wimby, I was doubting a lot my decisions, and that was the main thing that was bringing a lot of unforced errors. "I gave her a lot of opportunities, and of course, she played incredible tennis, but I feel like I had my opportunities. I didn't use them, and I feel like the key for me going to be just go out there, of course, like, obviously fight, but trust my decisions and go after my shots." For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com
US Open women's final: Can Amanda Anisimova bounce back from Wimbledon final nightmare against the defending champion? Saturday's202...
