Anisimova Reaches Her First Wimbledon Semifinal

On a sunny and breezy afternoon on No. 1 Court, Amanda Anisimova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova met in a Wimbledon quarterfinal shaped by contrast—one player in the middle of her best season, the other drawing on years of experience at the top level. Anisimova, 23 and ranked a career-high No. 12, stayed steady through a dramatic second-set turnaround and closed out the match 6–1, 7–6(9) to reach her first semifinal at Wimbledon.

Anisimova entered the match with momentum: a WTA 1000 title in Doha, a runner-up finish at Queen’s, and a 10–2 grass court record in 2025. Pavlyuchenkova, 34, was appearing in her 65th Grand Slam main draw and hoping to reach her first major semifinal since Roland Garros in 2021. Anisimova had won all three of their previous meetings, but none had come on grass—until now.

The first set lasted just 26 minutes. Anisimova broke early, jumped out to a 4–love lead before Pavlyuchenkova managed a hold. There was little the Russian could do to disrupt Anisimova’s timing. The American was sharp from both wings, dictating points early. Of her 26 total winners, 11 came from the forehand and 8 from the backhand—clean, decisive shotmaking that left few openings.

After the match, Pavlyuchenkova spoke of the difficulty of adjusting to Anisimova’s pace on a new court:

“I have to give her credit because I thought she was playing incredible. I couldn’t touch the ball at the beginning. It was coming very fast at me.

It was my first time playing on Court 1. I found it very, very fast… So it took me a while to get adjusted.”

The second set was more competitive. Anisimova broke for 3–2 and held for a 5–2 lead, appearing to have the match firmly in hand. But Pavlyuchenkova dug in. She held serve in a long game for 3–5, then broke Anisimova on her third break point. When she saved two match points in a tense hold to reach 5–5, the mood on No. 1 Court shifted. The match was suddenly alive.

Anisimova steadied herself with a composed hold for 6–5. Pavlyuchenkova held, and they were tied 6-all.

In the breaker, Pavlyuchenkova jumped out to a 6–3 lead, earning three set points. Anisimova fought back to level at 6–6, and they traded points to 9–9, when Anisimova found space with a backhand crosscourt winner to reach her fourth match point. A 109 mph serve down the middle sealed it—Pavlyuchenkova’s backhand return hit the net.

Photo by: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Afterward, Pavlyuchenkova reflected on…