Amanda Anisimova’s Surprise Comeback Ignites WTA Tour Ahead of the US Open

Amanda Anisimova is back in the New York spotlight, and the 24-year-old American is determined to turn her resurgent 2025 season into a storybook run at the US Open. A home-court renaissance Eighteen months ago Anisimova was ranked No. 373 after stepping away from the tour to protect her mental health. Today she is the tournament’s No. 8 seed, fresh off a runner-up finish at Wimbledon and riding a 17-3 summer hard-court record. Her first-week victories in Flushing Meadows over Kimberly Birrell, Maya Joint and Jaqueline Cristian have pushed her season win total to 46, already a career high. From burnout to breakthrough Anisimova’s sabbatical in 2023 followed four traumatic seasons that included the sudden death of her father and long-time coach, Konstantin. “I couldn’t stay in that environment anymore; I needed time away,” she recalled this week. The reset left her hungry, healthier, and—according to new coach Dieter Kindlmann—more “process-driven than results-driven,” a shift that has yielded personal-best numbers in first-serve percentage (67 %) and break-point conversion (49 %). Key matchup on the horizon Standing between Anisimova and a first US Open semifinal is No. 18 Beatriz Haddad Maia, a left-hander she defeated in straight sets at Wimbledon. A victory would likely set up a blockbuster meeting with Coco Gauff, the junior rival she beat for the 2017 girls’ title on these same courts. What’s fueling the surge? • Upgraded fitness: Anisimova trimmed her off-season 5 km time by nearly two minutes, helping her play longer rallies without fading. • Backhand precision: Her two-hander has produced 118 clean winners through three rounds, second only to Iga Świątek. • Mindfulness routine: Daily 20-minute meditation sessions, inspired by NBA star Kevin Love, “keep me present,” she said. Quotable “I’ve experienced a lot—good and bad—but it’s been a hell of a ride, and I’m grateful to be here,” Anisimova told reporters after her third-round win. Road to the WTA Finals Currently No. 5 in the Race to Riyadh, Anisimova can secure her maiden WTA Finals berth by reaching the semifinals in New York. A title would make her the first American woman not named Serena Williams to win the US Open since Sloane Stephens in 2017. What’s next Night-session headliners, capacity Arthur Ashe crowds, and a player finally at peace with her game set the stage for a potentially career-defining second week. If the last 18 months have taught Amanda Anisimova anything, it’s that stepping away allowed her to come back stronger—and the New York faithful are ready to witness the payoff.