As Wimbledon storms into its business end, American hopes are clinging to the blades of grass that have tested champions and broken hearts. After a brutal first week that saw top seeds like Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula crash out, the torch has passed to fresh blood, and Amanda Anisimova has seized it with fire. Rising from the ashes of shattered brackets, Anisimova has muscled her way into the last eight, turning heads with every stroke. But was it all smooth sailing? Not quite. However, she now openly acknowledged the nerve-wracking energy of Wimbledon, demonstrating that even top competitors feel the weight of expectation.

Under the closed roof of No.1 Court on a tense Sunday evening, Amanda Anisimova locked horns with Czech challenger Linda Noskova in a clash that tested more than just tennis skills. The 13th seed from the US emerged from the firestorm with a gritty 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win, clawing her way into the quarterfinals. Every point felt like a war cry, every game a pulse-pounding reminder that this was Wimbledon, the unforgiving theater of dreams.

After the dust settled, Anisimova peeled back the curtain on the mental storm behind her poise. Asked how she navigated the high-wire pressure, and how her team braved it with her, she laid it bare. “I mean, I was trying to not look at them too much because I was getting so stressed out,” she confessed, revealing her inner tremors. “And yeah, I mean, I was just trying to keep my composure, keep my nerves at bay. And it’s something that they try to instill in me and it’s not easy at times like this but, yeah, I mean, they were a huge support and they told me to just keep believing in myself,” the American later added. 

It was pressure personified for Amanda Anisimova, but she rose to the moment with fire in her heart. On a rain-soaked Wimbledon day under the closed roof of Court One, the American ended Linda Noskova’s dream of a ‘Czech three-peat’ with a gritty, emotional victory that left her in tears. With Czech champions, Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejčíková lifting the trophy the past two years, 30th seed Noskova, the last Czech standing from an original eight, hoped to follow their path, but Anisimova had other plans.

The energy in the 12,000-seat stadium had dipped after Cameron Norrie’s nerve-shredding 4.5-hour marathon win earlier in the day, but Anisimova held nothing back. Once ranked 422 in the world after stepping away in May 2023 due to burnout and mental health struggles, the 23-year-old has rewritten her story in bold letters on the grass of SW19.

Amanda Anisimova‘s win over Noskova didn’t just book a quarterfinal slot; it catapulted her back into the top 10, soaring to world No. 8 as per PIF live ranking. Anisimova’s run made history, as she became the first American woman to reach back-to-back Wimbledon quarterfinals since Serena Williams’ dominant stretch from 2015 to 2019.

And with the semis now in sight, Anisimova reflected on her hard-fought journey. Her words echoed quiet defiance and fierce belief: staying true to herself and pushing through the darkest days hasn’t just brought her back, it’s ignited a deeper hunger to conquer more on the sacred lawns of Wimbledon.

Amanda Anisimova reflects on gritty Wimbledon victory

Amanda Anisimova returned to Wimbledon’s main draw with purpose, two years after her 2022 quarterfinal breakthrough. She missed last year’s edition during a break from the tour and then suffered a heartbreaking loss in the final round of qualifying. 

But what followed was a career-defining climb. In the 12 months since that loss, the American has blazed a new trail, reaching her first WTA 1000 final in Toronto last August and then going one better by capturing her maiden WTA 1000 title in Doha this February. That win catapulted her into the Top 20 for the first time.

Now ranked a career-high World No. 12, Anisimova entered this year’s Championships riding high, and with Sunday’s win over Linda Noskova, she could crack the Top 10 depending on the results ahead. It’s a staggering rise from No. 189 just a year ago. With 10 grass-court wins already this season, including a final run at Queen’s Club and a quarterfinal showing in Berlin, she hasn’t fallen before the last eight on the surface all year.

Her latest triumph over Noskova was another testament to her grit. After the match, she let fans in on her mindset during the tension-filled battle. “I didn’t remember what the score was,” she laughed. “Someone told me, ‘You were 1-3 down.’ I was like, ‘I was?’” Anisimova added, “I just kept telling myself to, first, keep believing in myself. Second off, just to bring my level up… I knew I had to step it up if I wanted to give myself a chance there in the third.”

Up next for the 23-year-old is a quarterfinal showdown against World No. 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Anisimova boasts a flawless 3-0 record against the 34-year-old Russian and will aim to extend that streak on Wimbledon’s iconic grass, especially after a tough grass-court campaign for American WTA stars, with top seeds Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula suffering early heartbreak.

But as Wimbledon has shown time and again, especially this year, nothing is certain. With upsets lurking at every corner, the question now looms: can Anisimova weather the pressure, or will Pavlyuchenkova breakthrough? For live, minute-by-minute coverage of the Championships, head to our Live Blog.