Anisimova finally lives up to her potential

AMANDA Anisimova will face Iga Swiatek for the first time as a professional in the Wimbledon final - but she has known for a decade that the Pole is a formidable foe.

- By ELEANOR CROOKS

American Anisimova is the latest unexpected Wimbledon finalist in the women’s singles after defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the last four.

Yet in some ways it should be no surprise that the 23-year-old has found her way on to the sport's biggest stage because it was where she appeared destined to be heading as a teenager.

She defeated Coco Gauff to win the US Open junior title just after her 16th birthday and by 17 was a top-30 star and a French Open semifinalist

But then came the sudden death of her father from a heart attack and difficulties with form and injury, and by early 2023 Anisimova felt so burnt out by the sport that she took an indefinite break.

With restoring her mental health the priority, the Floridian revived a childhood love of art, selling her paintings to raise money for charity.