Sabalenka Shines as Anisimova Struggles Under Closed Roof
When Amanda Anisimova stepped onto Arthur Ashe Stadium for the U.S. Open final, she already sensed things wouldn’t be simple. Not only was she facing Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed in the world, but she also had to deal with a challenge she hadn’t anticipated—the closed roof. Because of heavy storms in New York, including warnings of strong winds and hail, the match was played under the stadium’s retractable roof. For Anisimova, this completely altered the environment.
She later admitted that she struggled to see the ball whenever she tossed it to serve. The brightness of the closed roof created a kind of glare, and from the warm-up onward, she felt something wasn’t right. As she put it, “I couldn’t see the ball when I was serving.” For a player who relies heavily on rhythm and precision in her serve, that became a serious obstacle.
Throughout the match, the problem showed. Anisimova landed just 58 percent of her first serves, and once she had to fall back on her second serve, Sabalenka pounced. In those rallies, Anisimova won only about a third of the points. Her serve was broken five times, putting her in constant defensive mode. She even gestured to her team during play, signaling that the issue was bothering her, but there was no real adjustment available in those conditions.
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Despite those struggles, Anisimova fought to keep things competitive. The scoreline—6-3, 7-6 in favor of Sabalenka—suggests she wasn’t entirely outplayed. In fact, her baseline exchanges and determination gave the crowd glimpses of a tighter contest. But in the end, Sabalenka’s consistency and power were too much, especially when combined with Anisimova’s serving difficulties.
For Sabalenka, the victory was another career-defining moment. She defended her U.S. Open crown, proving once again why she holds the world’s No. 1 ranking. After the match, she described herself as the “happiest person” in that moment, soaking in the atmosphere of a hard-earned title defense.
For Anisimova, however, it was her second straight loss in a Grand Slam final. At just 24 years old, she has already put herself in the conversation among the game’s elite, but this final showed how even small details—like the lighting conditions under a closed roof—can dramatically affect performance at the highest level. She called it a lesson, one that she hopes to use in future tournaments.
Still, the frustration was clear in her words. She hadn’t expected such conditions, and it left her feeling unprepared at one of the most important moments of her career. Yet, the resilience she displayed in pushing Sabalenka into a second-set tiebreak hints at her ability to bounce back.
In the end, Sabalenka walked away as champion once again, while Anisimova left with both disappointment and valuable experience. The night reminded everyone that in tennis, sometimes the toughest opponent isn’t across the net—it’s the conditions around you.
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