By Simon Jennings
NEW YORK (Reuters) -For the second consecutive Grand Slam, Amanda Anisimova found herself tantalisingly close to etching her name into the tennis history books – only to watch it slip away in straight sets.
The 24-year-old American’s 6-3 7-6(3) loss to world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the U.S. Open final on Saturday marked another painful chapter in a story of near-misses on the sport’s biggest stages.
After falling short at Wimbledon earlier this year, Anisimova again struggled to find her best in the pressure cooker of a major final.
“I feel like with finals I have a lot of nerves, and it’s something I’m trying to work on,” Anisimova admitted in her post-match press conference.
The aggressive baseline game that carried her past former champions Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka was on display as she struck 22 winners to Sabalenka’s 13.
But a high-risk strategy produced costly errors, with the American committing 29 unforced errors to her opponent’s 15.
Anisimova said her rhythm was thrown off by an unexpected factor: the lighting under the closed roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium for the day session.
“Well, I haven’t played on the court during the day with the roof closed, and it was literally, like, white, and I couldn’t see the ball when I was serving,” she explained.
The loss was a cruel blow for the former junior U.S. Open champion, but her run to the final ensures she will break into the top five of the world rankings for the first time.
“It has been a great summer. Losing in two finals is great, but it is also super hard!” Anisimova said on court, capturing the bittersweet nature of her breakthrough season.
The result also means she now has a chance to play in the season-ending WTA Finals for the first time.
“It was actually a goal of mine at the start of the year,” she said.
Sabalenka, who has now won four major titles, offered words of encouragement for her opponent during the trophy ceremony.
“Congrats Amanda on reaching back-to-back finals at the slams,” Sabalenka said. “I know how much it hurts to lose, but trust me you will win one, you play incredible tennis.”
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in New YorkEditing by Marguerita Choy)
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