Iga Swiatek has become the youngest female player to claim a third Grand Slam title since Maria Sharapova after ousting Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in straight sets at the US Open.
The 21-year-old displayed some of her best tennis on the Arthur Ashe Stadium as she battled to a 6-2, 7-6(5), victory. It is the first time Swiatek has won a major title on a hardcourt after triumphing twice on the French Open clay courts. As a result of her 10th consecutive win over a top 10 player on the Tour, she has become the first Polish woman to win the tournament in its 145-year history.
“I was not expecting a lot. I had a really challenging time before this tournament. I just had to stay to focused, it’s New York, it’s so loud and crazy but I just had to stay in it,” said the new champion.
“Congratulations to Ons. I’m sure we’re going to have many more battles in the future and she’s certainly going to win some of those.
“I’m sorry to my team for giving them such a hard time some times but they know how guide me and I just want to thank them for everything.”
Coming into the title match, Swiatek had won her past nine Tour finals without dropping no more than four games in each set. She continued her emphatic record at Flushing Meadows with the help of a perfect start to her showdown with Jabeur. In just eight minutes she stormed to a 3-0 lead by winning 12 out of the first 14 points played, breaking the Tunisian for the first time after she hit a forehand wide.
Jabeur, who is the first African woman to contest a US Open final, managed to illustrate glimmers of her best tennis with an array of impressive winners that aided her to break back and close the gap to 3-2. However, the momentum soon stalled with the first visible signs of frustration from the world No.5 emerging after she brushed her racket with the ground out of tempter after missing a shot before dropping serve yet again.
The top seed closed out the opener in exactly 30 minutes on her first opportunity after a backhand shot from her opponent crashed into the net.
Historically, winning the first set has been critical at the New York major. Before this year, only one out of the past 27 women’s finals has been won by a player who dropped the opener, which was Naomi Osaka in 2020.
A Swiatek backhand down the line handed her the early break at the start of what was a roller-coaster second frame. Prompting her to produce a fist pump in the direction of her support camp. Mirroring the first set, she won the first three games before Jabeur retrieved the break. However, this time round Swiatek also had to contend with some rowdy members of the crowd who disrupted her rhythm at times. One example was somebody whistling as she was about to serve.
Contending with a mini resurgence from Jabeur, Swiatek battled her way to victory after overcoming some testing moments towards the closing stages. Locked at 4-4, she saved a trio of break points during a marathon 10-minute serve game to nudge ahead. Three games later she encountered her first Championships point but failed to convert after hitting a forehand long.
In the end, Swiatek would prevail in what was a tiebreaker marred by nerves and a staggering nine mini-breaks of serve. On her second match point, a Jabeur shot landed beyond the baseline to secure her the victory as she collapsed onto the ground in delight.
“I’m pretty sure that it’s a lot, I can hear what’s going on right now. Thank you guys,” Swiatek replied when asked what she thinks her win will mean to those in her native Poland.
“We have to stay united right now and stay together. I’m proud that tennis is getting more and more popular at home.”
It is the second time in a row that Jabeur has lost in a major final after falling to Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon. Nevertheless, she has made history for her nation at the tournament. Something she hopes will have an impact on the next generation of Arab players.
“I want to thank the crowd for cheering me up and I really tried but Iga didn’t make it easy for me. She deserved to win today. I don’t like her very much right now but it’s OK,” she joked afterwards.
“Amazing two weeks backing up my final at Wimbledon. I’m going to be working hard and we’ll get that title real soon.
“I tried to push myself to do more, getting the major is one of the goals and hopefully I can inspire more and more generations. I got inspired by so many champions – Martina inspired us, Arantxa and thank you also to my team, my friends.
“We want more and more kids coming and this is just the beginning of so many things.”
When the WTA rankings are updated on Monday, Swiatek will have a massive 9560 points. The is more than double that of Jabeur who will sit behind her in second place.
