Daijiworld Media Network- New York
New York, Sep 4: Amanda Anisimova produced one of the biggest shocks of the US Open on Wednesday, defeating second seed Iga Swiatek in straight sets to storm into the semi-finals. The American eighth seed avenged her humiliating Wimbledon defeat to the Pole just two months ago with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph at Flushing Meadows.
“I’ve been having the run of my life here… to come back from Wimbledon like that is really special,” said a jubilant Anisimova, who will now face either two-time champion Naomi Osaka or Czech star Karolina Muchova for a place in the final.
Swiatek, who had entered the tournament as favourite after winning Wimbledon and the Cincinnati WTA 1000, started strong but failed to capitalise. Though she broke early in both sets, Anisimova fought back with resilience, sealing the upset on her third match point with the help of a net cord. “I kind of have to let it go and just focus on the next one,” a dejected Swiatek admitted after the loss.
Meanwhile, Japanese star Naomi Osaka, making her best Grand Slam run since returning to tennis after motherhood, set up a quarter-final clash with Muchova following her impressive 6-3, 6-2 victory over third seed Coco Gauff earlier in the week.
On the men’s side, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime returned to the US Open semi-finals for the first time since 2021 after a gruelling four-set win over Australia’s Alex de Minaur. The 25-year-old came back from a set down to win 4-6, 7-6 (9/7), 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) in a battle lasting more than four hours.
“Some days you won’t feel your best but I was willing to dig really deep. It feels even better now to be back in the semi-finals,” Auger-Aliassime said.
For De Minaur, the defeat marked his sixth consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final exit. “Right now I’m looking at this like a wasted opportunity,” the Australian admitted.
Elsewhere, Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti prepared to take on compatriot Jannik Sinner in an all-Italian quarter-final clash. Sinner, the defending champion, has been in imperious form, thrashing Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 in the last round. Bublik described him as “like an AI-generated player”, while Musetti acknowledged the challenge ahead. “He’s the best player in the world.
That’s the biggest test we can have in our sport,” Musetti said.