US Open: Anisimova beats Osaka, to face Sabalenka in women's final

Amanda Anisimova eliminated four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3 in a U.S. Open semifinal that ended at nearly 1 a.m. Friday and featured two of the most powerful first-strike hitters in women's tennis.

- Agencies

The No. 8-seeded Anisimova, a 24-year-old who was born in New Jersey and grew up in Florida, reached her second straight major final by coming through after 2 hours, 56 minutes.

"I wasn't sure I would make it past the finish line and I tried to dig deep," said Anisimova, who needed three match points to get the job done. "It was a huge fight out there today."

When it was over, Anisimova yelled, "Let's go!" and enjoyed the moment by kneeling on the court and leaning forward.

She will face defending champion and current No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday for the title. Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula in three sets on Thursday. Sabalenka owns three major trophies, all on hard courts. This is the fifth consecutive women's final at a Slam involving an American woman.