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Amanda Anisimova sat in her chair with tears streaming down her face as Aryna Sabalenka celebrated another major triumph in New York.
Less than two months ago, Anisimova endured a nightmare debut in a Grand Slam final, losing 6-0 6-0 to Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon. On Saturday night at the US Open, the script was different. She fought bravely against the world No. 1, but Sabalenka’s experience and composure carried her to a 6-3 7-6(3) victory. For Anisimova, the pain was overwhelming, as she broke down in tears on her chair.
You were formidable this fortnight, Amanda ❤️ pic.twitter.com/3lDrPr1T2V
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2025
“I didn’t fight hard enough for my dreams,” she admitted afterwards.
“With finals I have a lot of nerves, and it’s something I’m trying to work on, but I wish I played more aggressive. I feel like if I fought harder, maybe I would have given myself more of a chance.”
The 24-year-old has endured a long and uneven path to this point. Touted as a future star since her junior days, when she beat Coco Gauff to lift the 2017 US Open girls’ trophy, her professional career has been disrupted by injuries and a seven-month break in 2023 to prioritize her mental health. Even her road back to the tour was rocky: she lost in Wimbledon qualifying in 2024 before surging, astonishingly, to two consecutive Slam finals in 2025.
Despite the heartbreak, Sabalenka believes Anisimova’s story is still being written.
“I know how much it hurts,” Sabalenka told her rival at the trophy ceremony. “But trust me, the moment you’re going to win the first one, and you are going to win it, you’re going to enjoy it even more after the tough losses.”
Those words carry weight. Sabalenka’s career has not been free of scars. Before winning her maiden Slam at the 2023 Australian Open, the Belarusian had lost three Grand Slam semifinals and openly admitted to wondering if her chance would ever come. Since then, she has become one of tennis’ fiercest competitors, and her New York victory delivered a fourth Grand Slam crown, all the more significant after heartbreak in the Melbourne and Paris finals this year.
Lovely moment as Amanda and Aryna have a little chat on the podium. pic.twitter.com/tVLgBoWKW7
— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) September 8, 2025
For Anisimova, this defeat hurts more than most. Her collapse at Wimbledon was easier to rationalize — the nerves of a first final, the overwhelming occasion. But this time, she came closer, pushed harder, and still left empty-handed.
Yet the fact she has reached back-to-back Slam finals, a year after failing to qualify for Wimbledon, shows her resilience. As Sabalenka reminded her, all champions are forged through painful losses.
Anisimova’s tears on Saturday told a story of disappointment. But perhaps, in time, they will be remembered as part of the struggle that made her eventual breakthrough even sweeter.
