NEW YORK — Moments after losing in the Wimbledon final in July, and with tears streaming down her face, Amanda Anisimova was resolute as she spoke to the crowd.

She had just lost 6-0, 6-0 to Iga Swiatek in a devastatingly swift 57 minutes, and the fans at Centre Court seemed enamored by her words as she continued to speak and by her confidence that wouldn’t be diminished despite the lopsided outcome.

“I know I didn’t have enough today, but I’m going to keep putting in the work,” Anisimova said. “And I always believe in myself, so I hope to be back here one day.”

The 24-year-old American isn’t quite back to a major final — not yet, anyway — but she had her chance to avenge the loss to Swiatek on Wednesday in the quarterfinals at the US Open. Much like at the All England Club, she entered the match as the clear underdog, but this time, with the vocal support of the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Anisimova found a way to pull off the upset for a 6-4, 6-3 victory to advance to her first semifinal in New York.

When it was over, just 53 days after her disappointment at Wimbledon, Anisimova initially appeared almost expressionless. Or perhaps she was in shock after she won on her third match point. But after she had exchanged a hug with a stunned Swiatek, a large smile appeared on her face and she put her arms on her head and nodded, before gesturing to her team with her clenched fist over her heart.

“Playing here is so freaking special and I’ve been having the run of my life here,” Anisimova said on the court moments later. “I mean, the first day I got here I was like, ‘OK, let’s try and get through one round.’ But yeah, this has been such a dream, and to come back from Wimbledon like that is really special to me.

“I feel like I worked so hard to try and turn around from that, and I mean, today proved everything for me. I can do it, so yeah. This is really special.”

To call Anisimova’s season resurgent would be an understatement. An exciting junior prospect and the 2017 US Open girls champion, Anisimova burst onto the professional scene with a surprise semifinal appearance at the 2019 French Open as a 17-year-old. The hype and endorsements immediately followed.

But her career was derailed by a number of personal and professional setbacks, including the unexpected death of her father and several injuries. After a difficult start to her 2023 season, Anisimova announced she would be taking an indefinite mental health break as tennis had become “unbearable” for her.

She spent eight months away from the tour, taking time to pursue other interests and, in her words, “reset.” She returned at the start of 2024 and reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, but had largely mixed results in her comeback year.

But 2025 has been completely different. Anisimova won the biggest title of her career at the 1000-level Qatar Open in February. She reached her first grass-court final at Queen’s Club in June — and then followed it with her miraculous run at Wimbledon, including a thrilling three-set victory over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. She subsequently entered the top 10 for the first time. After her win over Swiatek on Wednesday, she’s expected to rise to a new high of No. 5.

After taking about 30 minutes to cry and mope following the defeat at the All England Club, Anisimova said a phone call with a friend almost immediately after helped her find the humor in the loss. She took some brief time off following Wimbledon to spend time with her young nephews and surf on the beach in Montauk, New York, but returned by the end of the month to play the Canadian Open.

In her two tournaments leading into the US Open, she had just two wins, and had never previously advanced past the third round at the tournament. But she still arrived to the year’s final major brimming with momentum and positivity — and with everything she learned from reaching the Wimbledon final.

“I think just having that experience and experiencing what that final was like definitely gives me some thoughts and certain things that I can bring with me going into this tournament, especially dealing with the stress and the tension of it being, like, a home slam, and there is a little bit of pressure on me,” Anisimova said before the tournament got underway. “I think just the way that the final went, it gave me a better perspective on how I should be handling my nerves.”

Florida State freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard was shot in the back of the head Sunday night, his father said, and remains in stable condition at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

Earl Pritchard told WFTV in Orlando that Ethan Pritchard was shot while driving his aunt home from a family gathering in Havana, Florida, which is about 16 miles from Tallahassee, near the Georgia state line.

“He was actually in the car taking my sister around the corner to her daughter’s house to drop her off,” Earl Pritchard told WFTV. “They turned the corner, and as soon as they turned the corner, they heard gunshots.”

Earl Pritchard said doctors continue to monitor the swelling in Ethan’s head.

An investigation into the shooting by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office is ongoing.

Florida State coach Mike Norvell said Wednesday he has been able to briefly visit Ethan Pritchard in the hospital, and he has remained in contact with Earl Pritchard.

“It’s a lot, not going to say it’s not,” Norvell said. “I try to give the players a daily update. … I was able to go by yesterday for a short period of time with limited visitation, just getting a chance to be there for a handful of minutes. It was good to be with him.

“He’s still in stable condition. … We are absolutely praying for him every day and trying to be there for our players, too. Yes, it’s one thing on the field, but it’s also off the field, that’s one of their brothers and a guy they deeply care about. Just working through this part of the tragedy of what it is.”

Pritchard, who is from the Central Florida area, did not play in the Seminoles’ season-opening victory against Alabama.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin will make more than $2 million a year after signing a three-year extension that keeps him under contract through October 2030.

Stricklin’s new deal also includes a provision that would make him “special assistant to the athletic director” for five years beginning in 2030. It’s a role similar to the one former Florida AD Jeremy Foley assumed following his retirement in 2016.

Stricklin, 55, signed the extension in June, two months after the Gators won their third national championship in men’s basketball. Florida released details Wednesday in response to a public records request by The Associated Press and other media outlets.

Stricklin’s previous deal paid him $1.8 million annually and ran through 2027. He got a $250,000 raise and could make as much as $2.175 million a year with bonuses.

But the most interesting part of the new agreement was his semi-retirement role, which outgoing interim school president Kent Fuchs signed off on this summer. New Florida interim president Dr. Donald Landry was confirmed last month, and a search committee is expected to begin searching for a permanent leader early next year.

Stricklin’s duties as special assistant would be determined by the university president and shall not “interfere with or undermine” the new AD’s functions or authority.

Stricklin would get $100,000 annually for those five years plus basic benefits, as well as use of the athletic association’s aircraft for a value of up to $55,000, an office, administrative support and complimentary club seat tickets to football games, men’s basketball games and baseball games.

Hired to replace Foley in 2016, Stricklin has enjoyed 13 national titles and 44 conference crowns while leading one of the most recognizable brands in college sports. He has been instrumental in helping the Gators navigate the ever-changing landscape of college sports, including revenue sharing and name, image and likeness payouts, as well as catching up in the facilities chase.

Under Stricklin, Florida opened an $85 million football facility and a $65 million baseball stadium. The athletic program also has preliminary plans to embark on a $1 billion renovation to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, better known as “The Swamp.”

He hired current Florida football coach Billy Napier, who enjoyed a late-season surge to close out 2024 and is ranked 13th in the latest AP college football poll. He also hired men’s basketball coach Todd Golden, who won it all in his third season in Gainesville.