This year's Wimbledon has already been full of twists and surprises, and Thursday brought one more: American Amanda Anisimova, the No. 13 seed in the women's draw, toppled top overall seed Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set semifinal shocker.
Sabalenka had dropped just one set all tournament, and few gave Anisimova much of a chance coming into Thursday. But the 23-year-old Floridian made clear early on that she was equal to the task at hand, taking an early lead and holding on in a thrilling third set for a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
Anisimova now moves on to her first-ever Wimbledon final, and in fact the first grand slam final of any kind in her career. It's a historic moment for American tennis, one that Taylor Fritz will hope to match on the men's side when he faces No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz in his own semifinal showdown on Friday.
But what will Anisimova need to do to become the first American woman to win Wimbledon in nearly a decade? Much of that will depend on who her opponent turns out to be.
Updated women's Wimbledon bracket: Amanda Anisimova on to final
• Amanda Anisimova [13] vs. Iga Swiatek [8]/Belinda Bencic
Amanda Anisimova survives showdown with Sabalenka
Anisimova and Sabalenka exchanged holds throughout much of the first set. But in the end, it was the favorite who would lose her nerve first, double-faulting to hand Anisimova the first set after a whopping 18-point game. Sabalenka used a break at 3-3 to capture the second set and extend the match, but Anisimova broke her twice in the third to build a 4-1 lead that eventually proved decisive.
It's an awfully impressive showing from Anisimova in what was her first career grand-slam semifinal, looking calm and composed throughout despite the stakes and the opponent. She showcased a complete game, keeping the hard-hitting Sabalenka off-balance and flustered, and she'll need to do the same on Saturday to come away with the trophy.
Iga Swiatek-Belinda Bencic winner awaits
Anisimova will now await the winner of Thursday's second semifinal, which will be between No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek and unseeded Belinda Bencic. Swiatek enters that match as the favorite, as she's beginning to look more and more like the former world No. 1 and five-time major champion she is. Then again, grass has never been her strongest surface, and Bencic is an Olympic gold medalist and former top-five player in the world who has hoed an awfully tough road to get here.
When was the last time an American woman won Wimbledon?
It's been a bit of a drought for American women since the retirement of the Williams sisters. The last time an American woman won at Wimbledon was when Serena captured her seventh career title back in 2016 with a straight-sets win over Angelique Kerber. No American woman has even made a Wimbledon final since Serena's final appearance in 2019, a loss to Simona Halep.
Anisimova also has a chance to make it three slams in a row for the U.S., after Madison Keys captured the Australian Open this winter and Coco Gauff won at Roland Garros back in May. The Americans haven't pulled off that feat since 2015, when Serena Williams won the Australian, U.S. and Wimbledon in succession.