Amanda Anisimova is set to face WTA No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s US Open final, with the American holding hopes of clinching the first-ever Grand Slam title of her budding tennis career
Amanda Anisimova’s world was rocked when her father died a week before she turned 18. It also came at a time where the tennis star was breaking through on the WTA Tour.
Konstantin Anisimov was a massive part of his beloved daughter’s career, serving as her coach from a very young age. Speaking to the New York Times about their relationship in 2017, he said: “Definitely pressure is big and especially pressure is growing when she is doing unexpectedly good, because then it’s very difficult to stay on course and be realistic and don’t be delusional.
“I saw a lot of parents who got immediately delusional and those stories end up in a very bad way. You can’t over-train. You can’t over-push.”
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However, tragedy struck in 2019, when Konstantin suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 52. He had recently separated from his wife and Amanda’s mum, Olga, but the family were still “in contact” despite the split, as per reports.
When Olga hadn’t heard from Konstantin for a number of days, she became worried and called the authorities, given that it wasn’t like him to not be in touch. After arriving at his home to find the door locked, emergency services had to force their way into the property, where they found Konstantin who had passed away.
Anisimova was preparing for the US Open at the time, but bereft by what had happened, she decided to withdraw. Speaking about her father’s passing, she told the New York Post in 2020: “It was the worst thing that ever happened to me, it was very tough. But you can’t change it, and you have to get back to life.”
Anisimova’s remarkable turnaround despite overwhelming adversity has seen her rise to superstardom on the WTA Tour, currently sitting at ninth in the official rankings. And 2025 has played host to her best year yet in terms of Grand Slam events.
The 24-year-old was beaten during the qualifying games at Wimbledon last summer, but made it all the way to the final to face Iga Swiatek in the final during this year’s event on the hallowed courts of SW19.
While she was ultimately handed a 6-0 6-0 loss at the hands of the dominant Polish force, Anisimova will have been delighted to have made it to her first Grand Slam final.
However, the tennis star has the opportunity to clinch the first major title of her career to date once more when she faces WTA No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the US Open on Saturday, September 6.
It’s been far from plain sailing for Anisimova to make it to the final of her national Grand Slam, handing Kimberly Birrell, Maya Joint and Jaqueline Cristian defeats in her opening matches.
A win over Beatriz Haddad Maia followed in the round of 16, before Anisimova exacted revenge on Swiatek with a 6-4 6-3 win in the quarter-finals.
She stamped her ticket to the final of the tournament on Friday, following a close-fought battle with Naomi Osaka, and confidence will be high as she heads into the biggest match of her career.
Speaking about making the final of the US Open, Anisimova said: “It means the world. I’m trying to process that right now. It’s just absolutely a dream come true.
“I mean, this has been a dream of mine forever to be in the US Open final, and obviously the hope is to be the champion. But I’m in the final now and I’m going to try to get ready, but I’m just excited. And yeah, it’s really special.”
