Sports
The ultimate upset: How Anisimova beat Swiatek
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.”
With her elevated profile and seeding, Anisimova has played every match thus far on a show court and, despite any extra attention, she has shown incredible composure and mental strength. She’s dropped just one set — against unseeded Jaqueline Cristian in the third round — but has otherwise firmly been in control of every match. She recorded a bagel set against No. 18 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia on Monday in the Round of 16. Through her first five matches, she has 28 aces, the second-most in the tournament, and she’s won 82% of her service games.
On Tuesday night, while mentally preparing for the quarterfinal match from her hotel room, she forced herself to rewatch the Wimbledon final, to take whatever she could from it. It was difficult, but necessary. She noticed she was “slow as hell” and fatigued but already felt she was in a better position this time around due to simply having that previous experience.
On Wednesday, playing in front of a crowd that frequently shouted words of support like, “Come on ‘Manda, you got this babe!” and “We love you, Amanda,” Anisimova was broken in the opening game of the match, just like she was at Wimbledon, and she couldn’t help but briefly panic. “When I wasn’t able to hold in that first game, I was really, like, ‘Okay, here we go,'” she said with a laugh in her news conference. “That was a little stressful.”
But this time, she recovered immediately by breaking Swiatek right back. And, she said, that took some “stress off of my shoulders, for sure.”
After taking the opening set, it initially appeared Swiatek had rediscovered her championship form as she handily took the first two games of the second set.
But Anisimova did not seem deterred, and she tried to fire herself up with positive affirmations and keep moving after every point — something she later admitted was not natural for her. She went on to win six of the next seven games, behind her strong serving, blistering returns and unwavering attitude. She had 23 winners on the day and just 12 unforced errors.
Swiatek said her inconsistent serving day “made the difference” in the match’s outcome. But she also said she wasn’t surprised by the level Anisimova brought.
“I think everybody knows how Amanda can play,” a dejected Swiatek told reporters after the match. “Yeah, she didn’t play well [at] Wimbledon, but it’s not like she’s always going to do the same mistakes or feel the same.
“No, I know that she’s a good player. She can play great tennis. So for me I was ready for a tough match.”
Anisimova later called it the “most meaningful victory” she has ever had.
Now into her third career major semifinal, Anisimova will next take on the winner of Wednesday night’s match between four-time major champion Naomi Osaka and 2023 French Open finalist Karolina Muchova on Thursday night. Anisimova has winning records over both players — she’s beaten Osaka twice and defeated Muchova in their only previous career meeting — but hasn’t faced either since 2022. She called both “incredibly tough opponents” but sounded ready for either possibility on Wednesday when speaking to the media.
On Thursday, just over 24 hours after one of the biggest wins of her career, she will have the chance to reach her second consecutive Slam final. But no matter what happens, she was letting herself feel proud of what she had already achieved this summer — and proven to herself and the world.
“It still feels a bit surreal, for sure,” she said to the packed room of reporters, with a backwards Nike baseball hat on her head. “I mean, I have that belief in myself and that confidence that I’m able to play at the top level, and I’m able to really go head-to-head with these top three and everyone who is in the top 10. I’ve shown that, and I think I was able to prove that to myself time and time again for a long time now.
“It’s really competitive these days, and also the Grand Slams are really tough, so I’m just really pleased to make it this far for the first time.”
Sports
Cedric Alexander becomes new TNA X Division champion, crushing Leon Slater’s history-making attempt
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All eyes were on the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) X Division Championship on Thursday night as Leon Slater looked to retain the title over Cedric Alexander and solidify himself as the longest-reigning X Division champion in the company’s history.
Slater knew a legacy was on the line as he looked to break a record set by Austin Aries. But he needed to pin Alexander twice in one match to retain the title. It was a steep mountain to climb as Alexander had been just as dangerous since he entered the company.
The match started off hot with Slater and Alexander trading blows to begin the match. But a quick-thinking Slater rolled up Alexander quickly for the first fall.

Cedric Alexander in the ring during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 23, 2025. (Bradlee Rutledge/WWE)
Alexander was able to go on offense from there. He hit a nasty German suplex on the outside of the ring. He continued to work on Slater’s tweaked neck. He later hit a Lumbar Check to tie the match at 1-1.
Slater went deep into his bag. He hit an avalanche Styles Clash, which could have kept anyone else down. However, Alexander kicked out. Alexander was able to counter Slater’s high-flying abilities just for a moment and knocked him back out of the ring.
Alexander sent Slater into the steel steps, leaving him busted open. Alexander declared that he would be the “greatest” X Division champion. One brainbuster later, Alexander tried to pin Slater, but couldn’t get him down.
Alexander hit a Lumbar Check again, but Slater kicked out. Slater mustered up the last ounce of energy. A tilt-a-whirl slam set Alexander up for a swanton 450. Slater missed and Alexander hit another Lumbar Check, and then again.

Leon Slater enters the arena during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 6, 2026. (Craig Melvin/WWE)
Alexander pinned Slater for the win, completely shocking the fans in Sacramento, California. It will be the first reign for Alexander and his first title of any kind in TNA.
Alexander is a reminder, at least for TNA, that “The System always wins.”
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Fabian Aichner appears

Fabian Aichner, formerly known as Giovanni Vinci, makes his way to the ring during WWE SmackDown at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Sept. 20, 2024. (WWE/Getty Images)
Moments before TNA went off the air, the lights went out in the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. Emerging from the darkness was Fabian Aichner.
Aichner stared down Alexander and appeared to name himself the next challenger for the X Division Championship. Aichner, known as Giovanni Vinci for much of his run in WWE, hadn’t really been seen or heard from in months since his departure from WWE.
Aichner wrestled under his real name for a stint in WWE before he came back as Vinci in June 22. He was with WWE until 2025. He was a two-time NXT tag team champion and an Evolve champion before it became a WWE brand.
Eric Young earns future shot at TNA World Championship
Eric Young outlasted nine other men in an over-the-top battle royal and earned a shot at Mike Santana’s TNA World Championship to start the show.
The match came down to him and Elijah after the latter was able to toss members of The System out of the ring while also avoiding Frankie Kazarian trying to get back into the match following his own elimination.
Young and Elijah came to blows on the apron, knowing that as soon as their feet touch the ground, they would be eliminated. Young grabbed onto Elijah’s hair to try to hang onto the moment. Elijah broke away with Young’s back turned to him. Elijah, however, didn’t account for his wide stance.
The TNA original kicked Elijah in the groin and pushed him down to the ground. Young won the match and received a shot to win the TNA World Championship in the future.
He also made clear that Santana was next on his list of people to wipe out as he did to Joe Hendry, EC3 and Ricky Sosa in weeks past.
“Mike Santana, you’re gone next,” he declared.
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Mike Santana learns his next opponent

Mike Santana stands in the ring during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 30, 2025. (Kevin Sabitus/WWE)
Mike Santana came out to address the crowd and praised Young for his efforts to help build TNA from the ground up.
“You better be coming with something different because while you may be someone who helped build this place, when it comes to the new era of TNA on AMC, I’m the guy. I’m the man. I’m the one who holds down the fort week after week as your TNA world champion.”
While Young might have earned a title shot, Daria Rae came out and revealed to the crowd that Steve Maclin was cleared to return to action following an injury at the hands of Santana.
Maclin will get a shot at Santana’s TNA World Championship next week on “Impact.”
Santino Marella also came out during the segment after he was “suspended.” He revealed that Indi Harwell re-signed with TNA.
Lei Ying Lee, Xia Brookside rivalry heats up

Xia Brookside attends the “Freelance” screening at Regal Waterford Lakes in Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 24, 2023. (Jose Devillegas/Getty Images)
Lei Ying Lee brought the TNA Knockouts Championship back home last week with a win over Arianna Grace. She addressed the crowd before being interrupted by her former best friend, Xia Brookside.
In all black, Brookside claimed she was already in Lei’s head.
“You’re such a fraud. I’ve destroyed you mentally, I’ve destroyed you emotionally, I’ve destroyed you physically, and that title will be around my waist.”
Both competitors tossed expletives at each other before the segment was over. But Brookside made clear that she had her eyes on the title.
AJ Francis prevails over KC Navarro
A.J. Francis told Fox News Digital before the SacTown Street Fight on “Impact” that he was going to bring the pain to Navarro.
While wearing “Show Stealer” across his back, Francis did just that. Francis took some punishment from Navarro – a few shots from a baseball bat and a drop kick with a trash can.
Francis was able to turn the tide for a few moments, using the baseball bat to his advantage. But Navarro dug deep. He aligned six chairs in the ring, hoping to splash Francis through it. Instead, Francis countered and attempted an avalanche Down Payment. Somehow, Navarro countered with a cutter as both men crashed through the sea of chairs.
It looked like it could’ve been it. Navarro went for the pin, but only got a two count.
Francis turned on the heat from there. He got ahold of Navarro and hit a Down Payment through tables lined up on the outside of the ring.
He rolled Navarro back into the ring and picked up the pinfall victory.
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“Impact” match results
- Eric Young wins the 10-man battle royal to earn a shot at the TNA World Championship.
- A.J. Francis def. KC Navarro in a SacTown Street Fight.
- Rosemary and Allie def. Veronica Crawford and Mila Moore
- Cedric Alexander def. Leon Slater to win the X Division Championship.
Sports
Giannis Antetokounmpo Next Team Odds: Will ‘Greek Freak’ Finally Leave MIL?
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The Greek Freak could soon be on an odyssey out of Milwaukee.
Where could Giannis Antetokounmpo land next? Here are the latest odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 14.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
Giannis Antetokounmpo next team
Bucks: +125 (bet $10 to win $22.50 total)
Celtics: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total)
Heat: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Warriors: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Cavaliers: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Knicks: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Blazers: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Wolves: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
During Antetokounmpo’s 12 years in the league, he has been named the regular-season MVP twice, won an NBA title and was named finals MVP.
However, since the Bucks won that title at the end of the 2020-21 season, things have progressively gone downhill.
The following season, Milwaukee lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Boston Celtics in seven games. Then, the Bucks did not make it past the first round in three consecutive seasons.
This season, Milwaukee missed the postseason entirely.
Where do the Bucks go from here? Is it time to trade their franchise cornerstone?
Reports have circulated across the basketball universe for over a year that the two sides don’t see an alternate solution, and just this week, Shams Charania reported that a trade is once again on the table this offseason.
If they do decide to restart their roster, the offers for Antetokounmpo will be hefty. Second on the board are the Celtics, who might consider parting ways with Jaylen Brown after a first-round exit in this year’s playoffs. Brown made waves after that postseason exit by exclaiming that this season was his favorite as a professional, despite Boston’s untimely defeat and Jayson Tatum missing a majority of the season while recovering from a ruptured Achilles.
Sports
Pakistan secure unassailable series lead after beating Zimbabwe in 2nd T20I
Pakistan sealed a 67-run victory over Zimbabwe in the second T20I, powered by Eyman Fatima’s unbeaten half-century and a disciplined bowling display, at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi, on Thursday.
The victory helped Pakistan secure an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, whose final fixture will be played at the same venue on Friday.
Set to chase a daunting 171-run target, the touring side could accumulate 103/8 in their 20 overs and thus succumbed to a series-conceding defeat.
Captain Nomvelo Sibanda remained the top-scorer for the Chevrons with an unbeaten 18 off 37 deliveries, followed by No 10 batter Kudzai Chigora, who made 14 not out.
Besides them, Adel Zimunu, Lindokuhle Mabhero, 12 each, Beloved Biza (11) and Natasha Mtomba (10) could amass double figures against a disciplined Pakistan bowling attack.
Nashra Sandhu was the standout bowler for Pakistan, as she took two wickets for just 18 runs in her three overs, while Sadia Iqbal, Tuba Hassan, Ayesha Zafar, Natalia Pervaiz and captain Fatima Sana chipped in with one scalp apiece.
Pakistan captain Fatima Sana’s decision to bat first eventually proved beneficial as the home side piled up 170/4 in their 20 overs, courtesy of an unbeaten 78-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Eyman and Natalia Pervaiz.
The Green Shirts got off to a brief flying start to their innings as their opening pair of Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza (nine) put together 27 runs before the latter fell victim to Michelle Mavunga on the third delivery of the fifth over.
Pakistan then suffered two more setbacks to their batting expedition as the last match’s centurion, Ayesha Zafar and returning Iram Javed could muster four and five respectively.
With the scoreboard reading 46/3 in 7.4 overs, Eyman joined set batter Muneeba in the middle, and the duo batted sensibly to add 46 runs for the fourth wicket until the opener was dismissed by Lindokuhle Mabhero in the 14th over, walking back after scoring a 33-ball 36 with the help of four fours.
Following her departure, Eyman joined forces with batting all-rounder Natalia, and the duo ensured a dominant finish with the bat for Pakistan by knitting an unbeaten 78-run stand.
Eyman, who dominated the crucial stand, remained the top-scorer for Pakistan with an unbeaten 79 off 43 deliveries, studded with 10 fours and four sixes, while Natalia contributed with 24 not out from 19 balls, comprising three fours.
For Zimbabwe, Precious Marange, Mabhero and Mavunga picked up one wicket apiece.
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