'It was extremely frustrating': Amanda Anisimova blames closed roof for US Open final loss

Amanda Anisimova experienced disappointment in her second Grand Slam final, losing to Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open on Saturday.The 24-year-old American, who was also runner-up at Wimbledon in July, lost 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) to the world number one and defending champion Sabalenka.Despite displaying powerful gameplay against Sabalenka, Anisimova struggled to maintain consistency against her Belarusian opponent."Losing in two finals is great but it is also super hard. I didn't fight hard enough for my dreams today," said Anisimova.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"I didn't win today, so of course I didn't do enough. That's just the reality, and I have to accept that. I feel like if I fought harder, then maybe I would have given myself more of a chance, but I feel like I was really kind of in the back seat today. I just felt like throughout the match I wasn't playing my best tennis."Following her previous 6-0, 6-0 loss to Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon, Anisimova continues to work on managing her nerves during major tournaments."I feel like with finals I have a lot of nerves, and it's something I'm trying to work on, but I just wish I played more aggressive," stated Anisimova. "Of course, she (Sabalenka) was playing amazing. She was playing very aggressive and doing all the right things, so she made it very difficult for me today."In the first set, Anisimova recovered from an early deficit to secure a 3-2 lead with two service breaks.The closed roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium, due to heavy rain, affected Anisimova's visibility, leading to Sabalenka winning the next four games and the set."I haven't played on the court during the day with the roof closed, and it was literally, like, white, and I couldn't see the ball when I was serving," added Anisimova. "That was a huge shock to my system. It was extremely frustrating for me."The second set saw Anisimova constantly trailing, and despite breaking Sabalenka's serve while the top seed was serving for the match, she ultimately lost in the tiebreak."Making it to the final is obviously really special, but it would have been a dream come true to make it all the way," said Anisimova. "I hope I can keep working really hard to give myself more opportunities to be in more and more finals."