Amanda Anisimova of the United States reacts to defeating Naomi Osaka of Japan in the semi-final on Day 12 of the US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 04, 2025 in New York City (Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Arthur Ashe Stadium played host to back-to-back action-packed semifinal matches, serving up aces and upsets in the women’s singles semifinal as American Amanda Anisimova and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka advance to the Grand Slam final.
The semifinals opened with the match between No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No.4 Jessica Pegula.
Aryna Sabalenka defeats Jess Pegula to advance to US Open final
The reigning U.S. Open champ brought the heat under the lights against Pegula, who had fallen short to Sabalenka as the 2024 runner up.
But it was Sabalenka who would end up prevailing on Thursday night, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in a closely fought match that saw Sabalenka win only two more points than Pegula did the entire match.
Amanda Anisimova punches ticket to 1st US Open final
The second semifinal match saw No.8 Amanda Anisimova against No.23 Naomi Osaka.
Following her upset over Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals, the 2025 Wimbledon finalist took on two-time U.S. Open champion Osaka.
Anisimova fought for 2 hours and 56 minutes to keep American’s hopes of winning the title.
Anisimova ended up rallying back to defeat Japan’s Naomi Osaka, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3, to reach her first U.S. Open final and second consecutive Grand Slam title match.
The stage is now set for a thrilling final on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Billie Jean King Tennis Center as Anisimova chases her first major title.
In the meantime, the two men’s singles semifinals take place Friday with the first match between four of the sport’s top talents in the hunt to make the final Sunday.
No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz will face four-time US Open champion and No. 7 seed Novak Djokovic.
Defending U.S. Open champion Jannik Sinner takes on No. 25 Felix Auger-Aliassime during the night session on Arthur Ashe, seeking his fifth major title.
(OKLAHOMA) — Oklahoma City turned out Tuesday to celebrate the hometown Thunder’s first NBA title.
The celebration began inside the Paycom Center, where Thunder players and fans gathered for the Champions Opening Ceremony.
In addition to the players, the star of the opening ceremony was the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, which the Thunder earned Sunday night with a 103-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
From the opening ceremony, the championship celebration continued with a parade through downtown Oklahoma City.
Thunder players including Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and All-Star Jalen Williams rode in open-top buses as thousands of fans cheered them on.
Oklahoma City has waited since 2008 — the year the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City — for their first-ever NBA title.
Gilgeous-Alexander said Monday on “Good Morning America” that winning the championship was “everything” he imagined it would be.
“The opportunity has been amazing and I’m happy and blessed to be a part of it,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who became the fourth player in NBA history to win MVP and top scorer titles during the regular season and MVP of the NBA Finals.
“It’s hard for me to even wrap my head around, but it just goes to show that when you work hard, when you focus on the right things, when you take care of the right things and you stick with that program for a certain amount of time, you can achieve anything,” he added. “And most importantly, when you dream and go after it, that anything is possible.”
