Jersey Shore tennis fans cheered on Freehold Township native Amanda Anisimova, who was defeated in straight sets in the Wimbledon women's final.
It didn't go her way at Wimbledon.
Freehold Township native Amanda Anisimova, 23, who had shocked world No. 1 Aryana Sabalenka in the semifinals July 10, was defeated, 6-0, 6-0, by Iga Świątek on Saturday, July 12, at the Wimbledon women's final.
Światek, 24, who was seeded eighth and has spent a total of 125 weeks ranked at No. 1, won her sixth Grand Slam title, and first on the grass courts of Wimbledon.
The match took only 57 minutes. The last American woman to win a Wimbledon final was Serena Williams in 2016.
Before the women's final, Jersey Shore tennis fans had expressed excitement about a Monmouth County native appearing in the finals on Wimbledon's legendary Centre Court, and said they planned to watch the match.
While they hoped for victory, local tennis fans said it was already an amazing achievement that she had made the final, given that she was the No. 13 seed.
"I think it's very, very nice that she's in there," said Sean Rush, an advisor at the Park Avenue Tennis Center in Ocean Township.
He said everyone at the tennis center planned to watch the match.
"We obviously root for her, being from Monmouth County," Rush said. "It's kind of surprising. It's surreal, really."
Just one year ago, Anisimova, who took a break from tennis between May 2023 and January 2024, arrived at Wimbledon ranked No. 189. She was looking to qualify, but was quickly dismissed in the preliminaries.
After making it through to the finals this year and beating Sabalenka in the semifinals, she will earn a career-high No. 7 in the next WTA rankings. She was ranked No. 12 before Wimbledon.
Światek will vault to No. 3 in the rankings. Tennis fan Kate Middleton, aka Catherine, Princess of Wales, was one of many celebrities on hand to watch the final.
"It's exciting to have someone from the area. It's fun to have somone to root for," said Colts Neck Racquet Club employee Jackie, who did not want to give her last name. She added that Anisimova could inspire young kids at the tennis center.
"We have a lot of young kids who play here," she said.
This Wimbledon final marked the first time Anisimova and Swiatek played one another professionally. The players, both born in 2001, met once in the juniors: Swiatek bested Anisimova in the Junior Fed Cup (now Junior Billie Jean Cup) to secure Poland's victory over the U.S., according to the International Tennis Federation.
Anisimova was born in 2001 to Russian parents Olga and Konstantin. Her parents moved to the United States in 1998, before Amanda was born in Freehold Township. The family moved to Florida when she was 3.
Amanda also has an older sister named Maria, who played tennis at the University of Pennsylvania. Her father Konstantin was a longtime coach for Amanda through her early development years. He died in 2019, according to ESPN.
Anismova's idol is Maria Sharapova, the last teenager to win a Grand Slam. Both are of Russian heritage.
Jean Mikle covers Toms River, Seaside Heights, and several other Ocean County towns. Contact her: [email protected].
Press Staff Writer Kevin Pennington-Turner contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Amanda Anisimova loses Wimbledon 2025 women's final
Category: General Sports
