US Open 2025 ladies’s singles winner Aryna Sabalenka paid tribute to her opponent, Amanda Anisimova, after defeating her within the remaining.
The World No. 1 tennis star, 27, efficiently defended the US Open championship that she initially received final 12 months on the Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Middle in Queens, New York, on Saturday, September 6, with a remaining rating of 6-3 and 7-6 in straight units. This historic victory made Sabalenka the primary lady to defend her US Open championship since Serena Williams in 2014.
Sabalenka dropped to her knees and set free a cheer after clinching victory, earlier than graciously hugging Anisimova on the courtroom. Sabalenka acknowledged Anisimova’s effort throughout an on-court interview moments later.
Along with her opponent standing ft away, the US Open 2025 ladies’s champion advised Anisimova: “Congrats Amanda on reaching again to again Slam remaining [Wimbledon and US Open]. I understand how a lot it hurts, shedding within the remaining. However belief me, the second you’re going to win the primary one — and you will win it. You play unimaginable tennis!”
“Congrats to you and your group on the stuff you’ve achieved after your comeback,” she added. “Lady, you’re gonna take pleasure in it much more after the robust losses within the remaining.”
In her personal on-court interview, Anisimova advised the gang: “Shedding in two remaining in a row is nice but it surely’s additionally tremendous onerous. I believe I didn’t combat onerous sufficient for my desires immediately however I simply wish to say congrats to Aryna.”
Anisimova, 24, has mounted a exceptional comeback after stepping away from the game to deal with her psychological well being. Amanda initially stored taking part in following the dying of her father and coach, Konstantin Anisimov, in 2019 however introduced she was taking day off from tennis in 2023.
“I’ve actually been scuffling with my psychological well being and burnout for the reason that summer season of 2022,” Anisimova defined by way of Instagram in Could 2023. “It’s develop into insufferable being at tennis tournaments.”
Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova after profitable Girls’s Singles Ultimate match at US Open. Susan Mullane/ISI Photographs/ISI Photographs by way of Getty Photos
She went on, “At this level, my precedence is my psychological well-being and taking a break for a while. I’ve labored as onerous as I may to push by means of it. I’ll miss being on the market, and I respect all the continual assist.”
Ranked No. 50 worldwide in August 2024, she surged to No. 9 after first making it to the Wimbledon remaining in July — the place she misplaced to Iga Świątek — and adopted up with a powerful run within the US Open, the place she avenged her Wimbledon loss to Świątek within the quarterfinal this week.
Whereas Anisimova and Sabalenka confirmed their respect for each other on the US Open remaining on Saturday, they did have a testy change earlier within the 12 months. The New Jersey native upset Sabalenka within the Wimbledon 2025 semifinal in July, although there was controversy throughout a sport within the third set the place Anisimova’s forehand volley touched the highest of the online twine earlier than falling over.
Sabalenka advised in a post-match press convention that Anisimova owed her an apology for the error.
“I simply checked out her and I simply, for certain, she didn’t hear me, however I used to be similar to, ‘You don’t wish to apologize?’ However she simply needed, I assume, badly to win this match. It’s on her,” Sabalenka admitted to reporters.
Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka is providing a behind-the-scenes look into her life off the courtroom in a brand new YouTube sequence titled Aryna’s Area. The “first-of-its-kind, real-time, episodic sequence” from the 27-year-old World No. 1 ladies’s single tennis champion will launch Thursday, July 17, on her Youtube channel, Us Weekly can solely reveal. The sequence will […]
Following her 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 semifinal loss at Wimbledon, Sabalenka additionally complained that Anisimova prematurely celebrated some extent and will have been docked by the referee.
“I used to be simply making an attempt to chase the ball. She was already celebrating it. I imply, that’s a bit too early,” Sabalenka insisted. “Then she type of pissed me off, saying, ‘Oh, that’s what she does on a regular basis.’ … I got here again as a result of I bought actually offended in that second, in all probability within the third set [which she lost] I ought to have remembered that.”
At her personal press convention, Anisimova tried to downplay the dispute by clarifying that she was “not celebrating” the purpose prematurely.
“It was similar to a protracted grunt, I assume,” she mentioned in July. “I don’t actually know what was the deal there to be sincere as a result of I didn’t really feel prefer it was that interfering. I attempted to not do it once more.”
In the meantime, Sabalenka secured her fourth Grand Slam championship together with her victory over Anisimova throughout Saturday’s US Open remaining.
“It’s simply loopy,” she mentioned in her post-match interview. “All these robust classes [were] price this one. I’m speechless proper now. I find it irresistible right here. I really like the assist. I like all through the years [the fans and I] constructed a type of relationship, and also you guys give me a lot assist … Thanks guys for bringing one of the best ambiance.”
