""It's exactly like a movie," Jackie Johnston, a women's sports content creator, told NPR ahead of the match."
""It is the hardest thing ever to do, to get your rating back up in tennis," Johnston says. "Because every single tournament you're actively playing the players that you usually would play in the semifinal in the first round, and then you're losing and then [your ranking is] staying the same.""
Amanda Anisimova defeated Naomi Osaka 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3 in just under three hours to reach her first U.S. Open final. She will face defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a rematch of last year's U.S. Open final. Both Anisimova and Osaka have been rebuilding rankings after taking mental health breaks. Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and the first Asian player to be ranked world No. 1 in 2019, took a break in 2021 for anxiety and depression and returned from maternity leave in 2024 unranked. Osaka is currently ranked 24th after defeating No. 11 Karolina Muchova to reach the semifinals.
Read at www.npr.org
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