The stage was set for a dramatic showdown under the roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium, but for Amanda Anisimova, the conditions proved more challenging than expected. Under the blinding glare of indoor lighting, the American fell to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 6–3, 7–6(3), in Saturday’s US Open women’s final.
The match, played indoors due to inclement weather, marked Anisimova’s second appearance in a Grand Slam final. But the 24-year-old was visibly unsettled from the start, stopping play on multiple occasions to raise concerns about the brightness of the stadium lights.
“I haven’t played on the court during the day with the roof closed, and it was literally white,” Anisimova said during her post-match press conference. “I couldn’t see the ball when I was serving, like, the whole match.”
Anisimova said she struggled to adjust from the warm-up onward, describing the lighting as a “shock to the system.” With visibility compromised, she relied on feel rather than sight for her service games—a disadvantage Sabalenka was quick to exploit.
The American’s serve was broken five times—three in the opening set and twice in the second. She managed to win just 36% of points on her second serve (10 total), including only two in the first set. “There was no way of adjusting,” Anisimova added. “I knew if I couldn’t hold serve, it was going to be very tough to stay in the match.”
Despite the adversity, Anisimova remained competitive from the baseline. She hit more winners than Sabalenka (22 to 13) but also committed significantly more errors, and was never quite able to find her rhythm against the defending champion’s steady and controlled aggression.
The loss follows a difficult summer stretch for Anisimova, who was handed a devastating 6–0, 6–0 defeat by Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final earlier this year. Still, 2025 has been a breakout season for the American. With her run in New York, she’s projected to rise to a career-high world No. 4 in the WTA rankings on Monday.
In addition to her Grand Slam success, Anisimova claimed her first WTA 1000 title in Doha earlier this year and now finds herself in contention for the prestigious year-end WTA Finals in Riyadh.
“It was actually a goal of mine at the start of the year,” she said. “Me and my agent, we were joking about that—that it would be cool to qualify. It felt far off at the time, but now I have a real chance to play in it, so that’s really special.”
While Saturday didn’t end in celebration, Anisimova’s composure and resilience amid frustrating circumstances suggest her time at the top is just beginning.
