With only a few notable exceptions – Ashleigh Barty for a year and Naomi Osaka on hard courts for a short time – women’s tennis has been characterized by its openness in recent years. It seems that anyone has been able to win every day, few players can maintain their form for long. The last major final of the year, however, pits the No. 1 and No. 2 in the WTA competition against each other in what could well be a new rivalry in the sport. Swiatek has already won six titles, including the French Open, in a historic year. This will be her seventh final. The 21-year-old has also reached at least the semi-finals of three grand slam tournaments this year. She now has over 9,600 points and that total would surpass 10,000 with her third slam title, something only Serena Williams has achieved since 2013. For a while it looked like Swiatek wasn’t quite up to making another big run in New York. After her 37-match winning streak at Wimbledon ended, her doubts returned. She even lost early in a small event at home in Warsaw on her favorite surface, clay. As she transitioned to the hard courts, Swiatek still wasn’t feeling her game. She was defeated in her second race in both Toronto and Cincinnati. He criticized the balls used for the women’s games at the US Open. She explained that a lot of the emotions haven’t subsided – she still doesn’t fully trust herself on hard courts, and she still doesn’t like the balls. She has learned to accept that circumstances won’t always go her way, but she can still come out victorious. Since spring, Jabeur has established herself as the second best player in the world. The Tunisian’s breakthrough came during the clay season when she won the biggest title of her career in Madrid, a WTA 1000 event. She has since won Berlin along with finals in Wimbledon, Rome and Charleston. This is her second grand slam final in a row, her fifth of the year and a win would give her a title on any surface this year. The last time two women players other than Williams reached two different grand slam finals in one season was in 2006. Ons Jabeur screams with joy after defeating Caroline Garcia in straight sets in the US Open semifinal Photo: Julia Nikhinson/AP They play different styles, but one thing they have in common is that they have created diverse, viable games that give them a number of different options, making them far more adaptable and reliable than their opponents. That was evident on Thursday as Swiatek and Jabeur faced Aryna Sabalenka and Caroline Garcia in their respective semifinals, both challengers basing their success on the all-around attack. When nerves hit, initially for Garcia and with Sabalenka leading 4-2 in the third set, neither could adjust. Swiatek is one of the best gymnasts in the world and possesses some of the most devastating weapons off the ground and is increasingly finding that balance again. Jabeur, meanwhile, is blessed with a complete game and a huge variety of shots. She can suffocate opponents with her serve and forehand, she can slice them, pepper them with drop shots and she has also improved her fitness massively. In the past, Jabeur had so many options it was overwhelming. He often struggled to make the right choices on the field. But now he is slowly learning how to use them, adapt to matches and know when to be disciplined and play more instinctively. “When I talk to my coach before the games, I feel that now I can do everything I can and want to do on the pitch, which is a surprise for me and I am surprised so many times,” said the 28-year-old . Despite the final matchup between the two best players in the world going 2-2 with Jabeur winning the most recent hardcourt matchup last year in Cincinnati, there is a chance that Swiatek could beat Jabeur. away as he does with everyone in the finals. Since losing her first final in 2019, Swiatek has won her last nine and hasn’t dropped a set, destroying every opponent. With a title on the line she tends to relax and play her best tennis, a level that no one has been able to reach all season. But if there’s anyone who should feel she can, it’s Jabeur, a few months after her first grand slam final at Wimbledon – which she lost in three sets – returning to the same stage at the US Open wiser and more confident about her. abilities.
