Swiatek beats Jabeur to win her 3rd Grand Slam & 1st US Open

NEW YORK: World No.1 Iga Swiatek swept to a 6-2, 7-6(5) victory over Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in the US Open final on Saturday to clinch her maiden trophy at Flushing Meadows and third Grand Slam crown.

Poland’s Swiatek fell on her back and covered her face with her hands after prevailing in the tight second-set tie-break, having sealed the win when the fifth seed Jabeur’s shot sailed long.

It was twice French Open champion Swiatek’s first Grand Slam title on a hard court and the 21-year-old is the first Polish woman to win the US Open.

“I really needed to stay composed and focused on the goals. And at this tournament, it was really challenging,” Swiatek said during the on-court trophy ceremony.

Despite the defeat, Wimbledon finalist Jabeur will regain the World No.2 ranking when the tournament concludes on Sunday.

“I really tried but Iga did not make it easy for me,” Jabeur said.

Jabeur had made history at Wimbledon when she became the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final. She added another line in the history books in New York, becoming the first African woman to reach the US Open championship match.

Swiatek came out firing on Saturday, pushing Jabeur to the back of the court with her precise serve and deep ground strokes to race to a 3-0 lead.

Jabeur found the range with her forehand to win back-to-back games for 2-3, but the momentum was short-lived as Swiatek broke back and took the 30-minute first set when the Tunisian’s backhand landed in the net.

A confident front-runner, Swiatek kept the pressure on early in the second set as frustration began to mount for Jabeur, who dropped her racket in dismay when her normally trusty drop shot landed short of the net in the second game of the set.

Swiatek blasted a backhand winner down the line for a 3-0 second set lead and it seemed the match would be a brief affair.

But, Jabeur rallied, saving a match point at 5-6 and forcing a tie-break.

She made some costly unforced errors in the tiebreak, however, which opened the door for Swiatek, who exchanged a warm embrace with the Tunisian after the match. Swiatek’s title in New York is the latest triumph in a season overflowing with them.

She had ascended to World No.1 following the surprise retirement of Australian Ashleigh Barty and quickly showed she was worthy of the position, winning 37 consecutive matches, including the French Open.

The clay-court specialist showed she could be successful on hard courts, too, with wins at Indian Wells and Miami, but finally looked vulnerable after early exits at US Open tune-up events in Toronto and Cincinnati.

She made headlines coming into New York by criticising the balls being used at the US Open and said that her expectations for herself were low.

RESULT: Final: I Swiatek bt O Jabeur 6-2, 7-6(5)