American Amanda Anisimova saved five set points with a “super stressful” tiebreaker and eventually converted her nephew Jackson on the grass of Wimbledon’s 1st courtroom to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final in six years after converting her fourth match point in a 6-1, 7-6 (9) victory over Russia’s Anastasia Pavlimunkova on Tuesday.
Anisimova first arrived at the Final Four in the 17-year-old major tournament at the 2019 French Open. In 2023, she took a break from the tour and said that she had been “stricken by my mental health and burnout” for nearly a year.
Anishimova, now 23 years old, is the youngest Wimbledon semi-finalist in the United States since Serena Williams (22) in 2004.
Anishimova was seeded 13th in the All-England Club and is guaranteed to make his debut in the top 10 after the tournament.
“I mean, it was an extraordinary year for me. It was so many highs. It’s just that ride and I enjoy every step of the way,” said Anishimova, who won No. 1 Alina Sabalenka on Thursday. “Even when, like today, you don’t know if you’re going to cross the finish line, I’m still reminded of enjoying the moment.”
She dominated the first set, moving up 5-2 second, building a big early lead. Anishimoba then scored his first two match points 5-4, but did not cash.
“She started playing some unrealistic tennis,” Anishimova said, “And I just kept fighting.”
In the tiebreaker, she ranked 50th, 6-3 behind Pavliuchenkova, the 2021 Open runner-up in France.
Anishimoba, who put together a 26-9 advantage to the winners, did not allow their opponents to force a third set.
The third match point arrived 9-8 with a tiebreaker, but Anishimoba sent a loud forehand return and cried out.
Anishimova collapsed towards the court when she caused a net return when she closed the match with a serve of 109 mph. After Pavlyuchenkova roamed the net for a hug, Anisimova covered her face with her hands, then her arms wrapped around her chest for self-help.
Soon she headed to the stands to pick up Jackson, who had arrived in England with Anishimova’s sister and father, mother, on Tuesday morning. Jackson will make four turns Thursday.
“I’m very grateful that they flew and experienced this with me,” Anishimova said. “It doesn’t happen often, so it’s very special.”
Anishimoba has won 11 of the 11 of the last 13 games since launching the Grass Court Campaign. This was followed by a loss to Tatijana Maria after reaching the first WTA Glass Court Final at Queens Club.
ESPN research and Associated Press contributed to this report.