Anisimova Holds Off Pavlyuchenkova's Comeback to Reach Wimbledon Semifinals

After world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka secured her spot, it was time for the second women’s quarterfinal of the day. Amanda Anisimova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova faced off for the fourth time on the main tour, with the American yet to lose against the Russian.

On the London grass, Anisimova dropped a set in her last two matches against Galfi and Noskova but has held her ground so far, set to break into the top 10 after the tournament.

Opposite her, the 34-year-old Pavlyuchenkova has been enjoying a strong grass-court season. After reaching the semifinals in Eastbourne, the Russian advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals with wins over Tomljanovic, Krueger, Osaka, and Kartal.

The level rose a notch on Tuesday against the American, who has had a solid start to the season. In fact, there was hardly any contest in the first set, which she wrapped up comfortably in 26 minutes.

Anisimova was rock-solid, not facing a single break point until serving for the match at 6-1, 5-3. The tension then escalated. In the following game, the American squandered two match points, and the Russian, reinvigorated, clawed her way back to force a nail-biting tiebreak to decide the set.

After a breathless tiebreak, Anisimova finally prevailed 11-9 on her fourth match point, having saved five set points along the way. She sealed the victory in straight sets (6-1, 7-6 in 1h39) to reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the second time in her career.

Six years after making the final four at Roland Garros against Ashleigh Barty, the 23-year-old now has a chance to play her first Major final. To do so, she’ll need to overcome Sabalenka, who defeated Laura Siegemund just minutes earlier (4-6, 6-2, 6-4).