Amanda Anisimova overcomes early woes to topple Naomi Osaka and reach US Open final

• American wins 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3 win to book Aryna Sabalenka final

• Victory puts Anisimova into her first title decider at Flushing Meadows

More than an hour into her first appearance in the semi-finals of the US Open, Amanda Anisimova still could not find the court. Under suffocating pressure on one of the most significant occasions of her career, unforced errors sprayed indiscriminately from her racket and she unloaded her considerable frustration on her support team.

After all that she has been through on and off the court, however, Anisimova did not reach this stage just to fall apart. From her desperate start, Anisimova gave an exhibition of her growing mental toughness as she emerged from a bruising, tension-filled battle around 1am with a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3 win over Naomi Osaka after two hours, 56 minutes to reach the final of the US Open for the first time in her career.