Iga Swiatek fell backwards onto the hard court and covered his face with both hands. When the Polish tennis player had recovered emotionally, she grabbed her cell phone on the bench and answered the first congratulatory messages.
The world number one won her third Grand Slam title at the US Open in New York after a strong performance. The two-time French Open winner from Poland won the final on Saturday against the Tunisian Ons Jabeur 6: 2, 7: 6 (7: 5).
“This tournament was a big challenge. We’re in New York, it’s loud, it’s crazy,” said Swiatek, who has won all of her last ten finals on the tour. “I honestly don’t know,” the dominator replied when asked about the secret of her strength in the finals.
Swiatek triumphed as the first Pole in US Open history and extended her final record on the Grand Slam stage to 3-0. Jabeur, on the other hand, also lost her second final in a major tournament two months after Wimbledon. She also failed to become the first African and Arabian Grand Slam tournament winner in the professional era. “I really tried, but Iga didn’t make it easy for me,” Jabeur said, joking, “I don’t particularly like her at the moment.”
“Iga Swiatek is aggressive, moves well, serves well – she plays perfect tennis,” said German tennis star Angelique Kerber, who was absent due to pregnancy, as a commentator on Eurosport.
Swiatek started splendidly and hardly let her opponent develop with the aggressive and powerful game. Above all, the return of the top seeded Pole was always dangerous. Jabeur, who will nevertheless jump from fifth to second in the world rankings after the tournament, was forced to make many mistakes.
“It’s a kind of helplessness,” said national coach Barbara Rittner about Jabeur’s game, who had shone in the semifinals against Caroline Garcia from France. When Jabeur increased the risk in the second set, she suddenly kept up. “She knows she has to take all the risks: it’s now or never!” said Kerber. But in the end it wasn’t enough.
