WIMBLEDON, LONDON: Amanda Anisimova finally reached her first Grand Slam semifinal in six years after defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a thrilling tiebreak and won with a final scoreline of 6-1, 7-6 (9). To celebrate, the athlete brought her nephew, Jackson, onto the Wimbledon grass courts, and it gained a heartwarming reaction from the public.
The athlete reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the 2019 French Open at the age of 17. However, she took a break from tennis for almost a year due to mental health issues and burnout in 2023. Now, at 23, she is seeded 13th at Wimbledon and will become part of the top 10 rankings for the first time after the competition. This happened just a year after she failed to qualify for the main draw.
With this, Anisimova said: “I mean, it’s been an extraordinary year for me. So many highs. It’s just been such a ride, and I’ve been enjoying every step of the way.”
She added: “Even times like today, when you’re not sure you’re going to cross the finish line, I keep reminding myself to enjoy the moment.”
Highlights of the match
During the match, Anisimova took an early lead. She won the first set easily and went on to lead with a score of 5-2 in the second set. She had two match points at 5-4 but didn’t finish the match then.
In the tiebreak, she fell behind with a score of 6-3 against Pavlyuchenkova. However, Anisimova didn’t let her opponent push the match to a third set. At 9-8 in the tiebreak, Anisimova missed her third match point. She then finally won the match with a serve that Pavlyuchenkova couldn’t return.
On social media, Anisimova shared: “a wimbledon semifinal mood 😂🤪”
Netizens offered their congratulations in the comments section: “So excited for you AMANDA! Congratulations!!! Amazing effort and rooting for you to win the semifinals and finals!!! YOU GOT THIS!!! 🤩🙌💪🔥🎾❤️”, “Watching this was like Disneyworld: a roller coaster ride with a fairy tale ending. WTG AMANDA!!! 👏”, and “Mature solid tennis. Stay focused and chill. It’s there for the taking. 🥰🎾💪”
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The athlete shared the precious moment with her nephew on social media as well and stated, “The most special part of it all 🥹 getting to experience this with my nephew and some of family here, ahhhh I could cry !! ”
Netizens were touched by the gesture of the athlete and remarked: “Sharing with your loved ones is the BEST!!!”, “Officially the best aunt”, “Your good luck charm is in the house..now let’s win this thing!!! You’ve deserve this!!! He is absolutely adorable!!!❤️”, and “Win or lose, seeing you enjoy life is very nice.”
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