Anisimova serves up sweet revenge

Swiatek's serve was problematic: She only put in 50 percent of her first serves and was broken four times.

"I couldn't win today's match playing like that, serving like that," Swiatek said, "and with Amanda being so aggressive on the returns."

In the second set, Anisimova fell behind early again, this time 2-0.But, again, she regrouped and quickly gained the upper hand. Swiatek was the one looking increasingly frustrated, shaking her head or slumping her shoulders between points, spreading her arms wide and looking to her coach for advice, and leaning back in her changeover chair as if pondering what, exactly, she could do differently.

When Swiatek double-faulted to trail 5-3 in the second set, that allowed Anisimova to serve out the victory.

"From the get-go, I was trying to fire myself up," Anisimova said. "She is one of the toughest players I've ever played. I knew I was going to have to dig deep."

Anisimova's semifinal opponent, Osaka, surged back to the final four of the US Open for the first time in five years on Wednesday with a straight-sets defeat of Muchova.

Two-time US Open champion Osaka, seeded 23rd, will head into the semifinal showdown brimming with confidence after another polished performance.

Osaka has beaten three higher-ranked opponents on her journey to the semis and has shown flashes of the class that earned her four Grand Slam singles titles, before she paused her career in 2023 due to the birth of her daughter.

Osaka, 27, said that, during her hiatus from tennis, she had dreamed of returning to the elite stage.

"I'm just really grateful to be here. Honestly I was sitting up there and watching and hoping I would have the opportunity to play on this court again. My dream is coming true."

Osaka said her journey back to the elite level of Grand Slam tennis had given her a new perspective on the sport.

"I learned I loved tennis way more than I thought I did, and I learned that I actually really love challenges," she said.

"It's like a video game. You pick it up, and even if you lose a level, you kind of just restart and keep going until you eventually win.

"It's a little tough sometimes, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I appreciate the journey a lot more now. I think when I was younger, I kind of just kept thinking the next one, the next one, the next one."