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LONDON – The series of fairy tales of American teen Amanda Anisimova ended Friday, when she lost in the semifinals of the French Open.
Anisimova was beaten by Australian Ashleigh Barty at a spectacular contest in three sets 7-6, 3-6, 3-6.
Barty, 8th seeded, will face Czech Markéta Vondroušová in the final this weekend.
While Anisimova's dreams of reaching the final may have disappeared, the superb performance of the 17-year-old unqualified player in the first five rounds of the tournament has designated her as a rising star in women's tennis.
The teenager, ranked number 51 in the world, stormed the first five games without losing a set. In the quarter-finals on Thursday, she stunned the spectators and apparently herself beating defending champion Simona Halep in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
"I can not believe it," said Anisimova in the field after her victory on Thursday. "I've worked so hard, but I did not think it would bring such results – honestly, it's more than anything I could ask for."
Just three years ago, Anisimova had lost in the final of the women's Roland Garros tournament, but her win against Halep on Thursday earned her a place in history as the first player born in the 2000s to reach the semifinals of the Grand Slam.
It also makes her the youngest American to reach the semi-finals since the 1997 American Open, when Venus Williams went to the final (and lost) against Martina Hingis, according to the Women's Tennis Association.
Anisimova made her French Open debut two years ago. She won her first circuit title this year in Bogotá, Colombia. She became the youngest American to win a title since Serena Williams won Indian Wells in 1999, according to Reuters.
A Russian immigrant girl settled in the United States in 1998, Anisimova was born in New Jersey in 2001, before her family moved to Florida, where many professional tennis players live and train.
Reflecting on her early interest in the sport, Anisimova emphasizes the influence of her older sister, Maria, who played for the University of Pennsylvania.
"I always saw her play, and I wanted to do it too, that's how I started and that my parents did it too," said Anisimova at the Women's Tennis Association.
Although she speaks Russian and English, Anisimova said that she had never considered representing Russia in court. "I plan to go, though," she told The New York Times in 2017. "I really want to visit and see what it looks like and see more about culture."
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