Sabalenka will surely be a heavy favorite in the final. She was the most impressive of the four players in action in this long, long doubleheader session of tennis. Anisimova will need to cut down on the errors if she’s to pose any sort of challenge.
But these are two players who showed a tremendous capacity for hitting unexpected winners. To use boxing terms, it’s a heavyweight contest. In chess terms, it’s a grandmaster battle. In poker terms, both players have pocket aces. In esports terms, both players have much better computers than I have.
Thanks for following along with us tonight / this morning / whatever time it is where you are. Enjoy the final.
Amanda Anisimova beats Naomi Osaka 6-7, 7-6, 6-3
Another gutsy win, and it’s another major final for the one-time teen prodigy who, after a break to deal with burnout and grief, looks to be in top form.
“[Reaching the final] means the world,” says Anisimova. “I’m trying to process that right now, it’s a dream come true. The hope is to be the champion but I’m in the final now and I’m excited.”
She also pays tribute to her opponent. “She is playing amazing tennis, I’m so proud of her after having a baby and returning to this level. I had to dig deep,” she says. “I tried to stay positive - there were a lot of nerves at the beginning. This tournament means so much and I think that was getting to me.”
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