‘Many More Great Battles To Come’: NJ Native Advances To Wimbledon Finals

FREEHOLD, NJ — A star tennis player from New Jersey is making the Garden State proud as she advances to the Wimbledon Finals this weekend.

Amanda Anisimova, born in Freehold Township, will compete in the finals after defeating No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals on Thursday.

On Saturday, Anisimova will advance to the final round, where she will face off against Iga Swiatek of Poland. If she emerges victorious in the final competition, she could become the first U.S. woman to win Wimbledon since Serena Williams in 2016.

“To be honest, if you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon, I would not believe you, especially not this soon. It’s been a year turnaround,” Anisimova said in a post-game interview after the match. “So many dreams of competing on this court. It’s such a privilege. To be in the final is just incredible.”

The Wimbledon Championships (mainly referred to as “Wimbledon”) is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four major annual tennis tournaments known as the “Grand Slams,” according to Historic U.K.

Alongside being one of the oldest tournaments, it is also one of the most well-known and typically takes place over two weeks in late June–early July. This will be Anisimova's first Grand Slam Final.

"HUGE congrats to Jersey’s own Amanda Anisimova on an incredible win to reach the Wimbledon Final," Governor Phil Murphy said in an online post. "We are rooting for you all the way."

Born in Freehold, New Jersey, in 2001, Anisimova spent the first three years of her life in the Garden State before moving to Miami at age 3, according to her WTA Tour biography.

She began playing tennis after going to her sister’s practice sessions each day and eventually developed a love for the sport, encouraged by tennis idols like Maria Sharapova and fellow U.S. tennis player Serena Williams.

In 2019, she unseated defending French Open champion Simona Halep at 17 years old and was named the youngest woman to reach the French Open semifinals since Nicole Vaidisova at that time, according to NBC.

As she moves on to Saturday's Wimbledon finals, all eyes will be on her and Swiatek. You can watch Anisimova’s semi-final victory here.

“What a battle out there,” Anisimova said in an online post following the match. “Credit to Aryna, she is such an incredible competitor. I’m sure we have many more great battles to come.”

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