Swiatek Holds Off Jabeur For US Open Title, Third Slam Throphy
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Iga Swiatek confirmed her status as the best player in women’s tennis hanging on to beat Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6(5) in the final of the US Open Saturday afternoon.
“I needed to stay composed and focus on the goals,” Swiatek said on court. “It’s New York, it’s so loud, it’s so crazy.
“It’s really mind-blowing for me. I’m really proud I could handle it mentally.”
Swiatek roared out to a quick 6-2, 3-0 lead dominating the Tunisian who was playing in her second straight Slam final
Jabeur would claw back gaining a break to level much to the thrill of the crowd. They would again exchange breaks until the tiebreaker.
Swiatek jumped ahead but with service holds at a minimum, Jabeur came right back and held the set on her racquet at 5-4 — Swiatek hadn’t dropped a set in a final since she was 17. But Swiatek leveled up and won the last three points to become the first Polish woman to win the US Open and the first player to win two Slams in a season since Angelique Kerber in 2016.
“At the beginning of the season I realized that maybe I can have some good results on WTA events,” Swiatek said. “I also made it to the semifinal of Australian Open. But I wasn’t sure if I was on the level yet to win actually a Grand Slam, especially on US Open where the surface is so fast.
“It’s something that I wasn’t expecting for sure. It’s also like a confirmation for me that sky is the limit. I’m proud, also surprised a little bit, just happy that I was able to do that.”
Swiatek has won her last 10 finals without dropped a set and her last 10 against Top 10s, losing just one set. She’s not just a clay court player anymore.
“At the beginning of the season I realized that maybe I can have some good [hard] results on WTA events. I also made it to the semifinal of Australian Open. But I wasn’t sure if I was on the level yet to win actually a Grand Slam, especially US Open where the surface is so fast,” Swiatek said.
“It’s something that I wasn’t expecting for sure. It’s also like a confirmation for me that sky is the limit. I’m proud, also surprised little bit. Just happy that I was able to do that.”
Jabeur was trying to become the first Arab women to win a Grand Slam. She has yet to win a hard court title.
“I struggled to win my first WTA title,” Jabeur said. “It took me time. So I believe this will take me time. The most important thing is accepting it, learning from the finals that I lost.
“But yeah, definitely I’m not someone that going to give up. I am sure I’m going to be in the final again. I will try my best to win it.
“To be honest with you, I have nothing to regret because I did everything possible,” she said. “I wish I served a little bit better today. It would have helped me a lot.”
Jabeur, who will climb to No. 2 in the rankings, said added Iga was just too good.
“I think in general just playing better at the right moment, at the important points,” Jabeur said of Iga’s game. “She knows exactly what to do. I feel like she improved a lot from last year until the beginning of this year again.
“You know Iga, how she plays in finals. It’s very tough to beat her. I will keep positive and work on the things that was missing today.”
Swiatek is just 21 and in her pro career has never lost a set in three Grand Slam finals.
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