Amanda Anisimova overcame world number one Aryna Sabalenka to reach her first Wimbledon final, earning a thrilling 6-4 4-6 6-4 semi-final win on Centre Court.

Anisimova, who spent time away from tennis after struggling with her mental health just two years ago, will face Iga Swiatek or Belinda Bencic in her maiden grand slam final.

The 23-year-old American produced a composed performance in sweltering conditions, with the first set being halted on two occasions so fans could receive medical attention.

The first set went on serve until the 10th game, when Sabalenka – who had saved set point with a tremendous overhead backhand just moments earlier – double-faulted to hand her opponent the decisive break.

Anisimova continued to match Sabalenka early in the second set, but a series of errors saw her broken for the first time in the seventh game.

Sabalenka served out the second set in relative comfort, and when she registered an immediate break in the decider, the momentum seemed to be with the top seed.

However, there were plenty more twists to come as Anisimova reeled off back-to-back breaks, the second arriving when Sabalenka got into position for a smash at the net, only to totally miscue the shot and send it spinning long.

Anisimova then sliced wide on her first match point at 5-3, with Sabalenka flipping the script to recover the break.

But Sabalenka could not hold serve to stay in the Championships, with Anisimova seeing two more match points come and go before a wonderful cross-court winner got the job done.

A picture that is worth a thousand words #Wimbledon | @AnisimovaAmanda pic.twitter.com/xR4qG1MSE5
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2025

Data Debrief: Anisimova's long road back to the top

Anisimova was tipped for big things after reaching the Roland-Garros semi-finals as a 17-year-old in 2019, but she had to wait six years to reach her maiden grand slam final.

She is just the fourth player to defeat the WTA's top-ranked player at Wimbledon en route to a maiden grand slam final appearance, after Zina Garrison (1990), Marion Bartoli (2007) and Sabine Lisicki (2013).

The moment Amanda Anisimova became a #Wimbledon finalist for the first time pic.twitter.com/tUBSsFCaoZ
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2025

Twelve months ago, Anisimova did not even make the main draw at SW19, going out to Eva Lys in qualifying.

She is just the second woman in the Open Era to reach the final of a grand slam after losing in qualifying at the previous year's event, after Bianca Andreescu's breakout triumph at the 2019 US Open.

Sabalenka, meanwhile, is the first top-seeded player to suffer a semi-final exit at Wimbledon in 16 years, since Dinara Safina's straight-sets loss to Venus Williams in 2009.