US Open 2025 ladies’s singles winner Aryna Sabalenka paid tribute to her opponent, Amanda Anisimova, after defeating her within the ultimate.
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 Heart in Queens, New York, on Saturday, September 6, with a ultimate rating of 6-3 and 7-6 in straight units. This historic victory made Sabalenka the primary girl to defend her US Open championship since Serena Williams in 2014.
Sabalenka dropped to her knees and let loose a cheer after clinching victory, earlier than graciously hugging Anisimova on the court docket. Sabalenka acknowledged Anisimova’s effort throughout an on-court interview moments later.
Along with her opponent standing toes away, the US Open 2025 ladies’s champion informed Anisimova: “Congrats Amanda on reaching again to again Slam ultimate [Wimbledon and US Open]. I understand how a lot it hurts, shedding within the ultimate. However belief me, the second you’re going to win the primary one — and you’re going to win it. You play unimaginable tennis!”
“Congrats to you and your staff on the belongings you’ve achieved after your comeback,” she added. “Woman, you’re gonna take pleasure in it much more after the robust losses within the ultimate.”
In her personal on-court interview, Anisimova informed the group: “Shedding in two ultimate in a row is nice nevertheless it’s additionally tremendous onerous. I believe I didn’t battle onerous sufficient for my goals immediately however I simply need to say congrats to Aryna.”
Anisimova, 24, has mounted a outstanding comeback after stepping away from the game to concentrate on her psychological well being. Amanda initially saved taking part in following the loss of life of her father and coach, Konstantin Anisimov, in 2019 however introduced she was taking time without work from tennis in 2023.
“I’ve actually been fighting my psychological well being and burnout for the reason that summer time of 2022,” Anisimova defined through Instagram in Could 2023. “It’s turn into insufferable being at tennis tournaments.”
Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova after successful Ladies’s Singles Last match at US Open. Susan Mullane/ISI Pictures/ISI Pictures through 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 might to push by means of it. I’ll miss being on the market, and I recognize all the continual assist.”
Ranked No. 50 worldwide in August 2024, she surged to No. 9 after first making it to the Wimbledon ultimate in July — the place she misplaced to Iga Świątek — and adopted up with a formidable 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 ultimate 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 web twine earlier than falling over.
Sabalenka steered in a post-match press convention that Anisimova owed her an apology for the error.
“I simply checked out her and I simply, for positive, she didn’t hear me, however I used to be identical to, ‘You don’t need to make an apology?’ However she simply wished, 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 court docket in a brand new YouTube sequence titled Aryna’s Enviornment. 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 a degree and will have been docked by the referee.
“I used to be simply attempting to chase the ball. She was already celebrating it. I imply, that’s a bit too early,” Sabalenka insisted. “Then she sort of pissed me off, saying, ‘Oh, that’s what she does on a regular basis.’ … I got here again as a result of I obtained actually indignant 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 identical to a protracted grunt, I assume,” she stated in July. “I don’t actually know what was the deal there to be trustworthy 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 ultimate.
“It’s simply loopy,” she stated in her post-match interview. “All these robust classes [were] price this one. I’m speechless proper now. I like it right here. I really like the assist. I like all through the years [the fans and I] constructed a sort of relationship, and also you guys give me a lot assist … Thanks guys for bringing the most effective environment.”
