Story byAmanda Anisimova is looking to make it three Grand Slam finals in a row at the Australian Open (William WEST) (William WEST/AFP/AFP)AFPFri, January 16, 2026 at 5:10 AM UTC·2 min readA pumped-up Amanda Anisimova said Friday she will use expectation as motivation at the Australian Open after a breakthrough 2025 saw her make back-to-back Grand Slam finals. The American was named the WTA's most improved player last season, jumping 32 spots to her current world number four, driven by powering into the Wimbledon and US Open deciders. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementShe was crushed 6-0, 6-0 at the All England Club by Iga Swiatek, but showed grit by bouncing back to beat the Polish six-time major winner in the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows. Anisimova then took down Naomi Osaka in the semi-finals before pushing world number one Aryna Sabalenka hard in the final before losing 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)."I'm coming off of a great year. A lot of confidence," said the 24-year-old."I had a lot of great experiences last year, I played a lot of matches. Learned a lot about myself and things that I want to improve."Going into this year I'm just thinking about how I can get that extra edge, improve as an athlete.