The championship match in women’s singles at the last Major of the year is fittingly between the two best players of 2022. They are also two of the sport’s most likable competitors, with plenty of flair and aggression in their games.
Iga Swiatek 56-7 this season, with six titles, all of which were accumulated during a 37-match winning streak. The world No.1 has more than double the points of all other players this season. And the two-time Roland Garros champion has now achieved her first Slam final on a hard court.
Ons Jabeur is 44-13 on the year,with two titles. She will reach a career-high ranking of No.2 based on this result, her second Major final this summer. Ons is the first woman to achieve back-to-back Major finals since Serena Williams in 2019.
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Ons Jabeur (5) – 4:00pm on Arthur Ashe Stadium
Swiatek’s best tennis has often escaped during her this event, and she’s spoken openly regarding the court speed and tennis balls not being to her liking. But she has still advanced to this final fairly economically, dropping only two sets through six matches. Iga has now claimed her last nine matches against top 10 opposition, and is a perfect 9-0 in tournament finals within the last two years, claiming all nine of those in straight sets.
Jabeur was only 10-8 this season on hard courts prior to this fortnight, and went just 2-3 on this surface in August after her highly disappointing loss in the championship match at Wimbledon, where she won just four of the last 16 games after securing the first set. However, she dropped only one set in her first six rounds, and dominated a red-hot Caroline Garcia in the semifinals by a score of 6-1, 6-3. Ons is 2-3 in finals this year, and only 3-6 lifetime.
Swiatek and Jabeur have split four previous meetings, and split their two encounters on hard courts. They played once before at a Major, with Ons prevailing in three sets in the round of 16 at last year’s Wimbledon. When they met this season, in the final of Rome on clay, Iga was comfortably victorious 6-2, 6-2.
Swiatek will look to dictate play from the baseline, but will need to cut down on her unforced error count. In all of her six matches this tournament, she has struck more errors than winners, averaging a -8 differential. Jabeur is an excellent server, especially for her height, but will need to dramatically increase her first serve percentage. In her semifinal against Caroline Garcia, it was only 43%. Iga’s aggressive returns would easily exploit that on Saturday.
Based on her play this year, as well as her outstanding record in finals, Swiatek is the favorite to win her third Major title. But regardless of the outcome, if these two competitors both play anywhere near their best tennis, they could create one of the most memorable finals in recent memory.
Also on Saturday, the mixed doubles championship match will be played at 12:00pm local time. It’s the Aussie team of Storm Sanders and John Peers (4) vs. Kirsten Flipkens and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Peers and France’s Roger-Vasselin have both previously won a men’s doubles titles at their respective home Slams. Flipkens retired from singles after this year’s Wimbledon. Her and Sanders are both vying for their first Major title.
Saturday’s full Order of Play is here.
