On paper, Saturday’s final is Swiatek’s to lose. Renowned as a clay-court specialist — her two grand slam titles came at the French Open — the Pole has deftly adapted her game to the hard courts in 2022, winning four WTA 1000 events on the surface and becoming only the fourth woman in history to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’ by winning Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back. Those titles, as well as her second French Open crown, came during her remarkable 37-match unbeaten run earlier in the season, which finally ended in the third round at Wimbledon. However, Swiatek certainly struggled to recapture that form during the second half of the season and her run to the US Open final was anything but typical before the tournament began. She struggled in her semi-final as well, fighting back from a set down and 4-2 down in the decider against sixth-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in a match that took more than two hours to complete. Swiatek, the first Pole to appear in a US Open singles final, said Saturday’s match would be “a big battle” against Jabeur, a player looking to make some history. The 21-year-old, who was expected to become the dominant force in women’s tennis following Ash Barty’s early exit this season, has proven herself to be incredibly solid in the finals of the tournament. Of the 10 finals she has reached in her career, Swiatek has won nine and has not lost one since her first final in 2019. Jabeur recognized this after her quick semifinal win over Caroline Garcia. “Iga never loses finals,” he said. “So it’s going to be very difficult.”
“Going for it all”
But Jabeur, who will return to a career-high ranking of world No. 2 after the US Open, undoubtedly has the tools to end Swiatek’s streak with one of the most varied games on Tour. The Tunisian will become the first African woman to compete in a US Open final and is looking to win her maiden grand slam at the second attempt. She reached the Wimbledon final just two months ago but was surprisingly beaten by Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in three sets. Despite the loss, she spoke of the confidence the run had given her. That certainly showed in a nervy-free semi-final. Jabeur brushed aside the dangerous Garcia, who was on a 13-match unbeaten run, winning 6-1 6-3 in just over an hour to seal her place in Saturday’s final. The career head-to-head between these two players is 2-2, with Swiatek winning their last meeting in the Italian Open clay court final in May, although Jabeur came out on top the last time they met. court in 2021. “It’s more real to be in the finals again,” Jabeur said after her semifinal victory. “At Wimbledon I was just living the dream and I couldn’t believe it. Even after the race, I’d just be doing my thing and didn’t realize it was already an amazing accomplishment. “But now I hope to get used to it. I’m just happy that I supported the results at Wimbledon and people are not really surprised that I’m in the final. I feel very positive about it. The most important thing is not to have any regrets, because I’ll give it everything. “Even if that’s not going to happen, I’m pretty sure another one will come [Wimbledon] The final was very difficult for me, especially the second set. But then I feel that this final, I’m going full in, I’m going for everything.”
