London - Aryna Sabalenka, the world No.1, found herself in a heated exchange with Amanda Anisimova during their Wimbledon semi-final match on Centre Court. The Belarusian was left fuming after the American seemingly breached tennis etiquette, which contributed to her eventual 6-4 4-6 6-4 loss.
Sabalenka, 27, took issue with Anisimova's celebration on a crucial point at 4-6 2-3 15-0. The No.13 seed fired a backhand winner before seemingly reveling in the moment prematurely, causing Sabalenka frustration as the ball had yet to reach her.
Umpire Damien Dumusois did not call Anisimova for a hindrance, much to Sabalenka's dismay. Matters escalated when Dumusois issued Anisimova a soft warning, to which she retorted that Sabalenka commits similar infractions "all the time."
The incident rekindled memories of Sabalenka's sour grapes following her Roland Garros final loss to Coco Gauff, but she assured the press that she would not repeat her post-match rant. "Are you guys waiting for something? You're not going to see [a repeat of the] Roland Garros press conference, so anyone who was waiting for that, you can leave right now," she said with a smile.
However, during her press conference, Sabalenka did acknowledge Anisimova's antics on court. "I was just trying to chase the ball. She was already celebrating it. I was, like, that's a bit too early. Then she kind of p***ed me off saying that, oh, 'that's what she does all the time'," she said. Sabalenka admitted that Anisimova's words helped fuel her determination to come back and fight.
Anisimova, 23, denied celebrating during the match, stating that it was merely a "long grunt." She claimed that she was unaware of the issue and promised to review the footage to better understand Sabalenka's concerns.
The American will face five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final after the Pole demolished Belinda Bencic 6-2 6-0 in the day's second semi-final.
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