“I struggled to win my first WTA title,” Jabeur told reporters after the loss. “It took me time. So I think it will take me time. The most important thing is to accept it, learning from the finals that I lost. “But yeah, I’m definitely not one to give up. I’m sure I’ll be in the final again. I’ll try my best to beat him.” Jabeur will climb to No. 2 on Monday, sitting firmly behind Swiatek in both the WTA rankings and the race for the WTA Finals leaderboard. It’s a position well earned by the 28-year-old, who was playing in her second straight major final and has already won two titles this season. Only Swiatek (7) has played in more finals than Jabeur (6) this season. “To be honest with you, I have nothing to regret because I did everything possible,” he said. “I wish I had served a little better today, it would have helped me a lot. “You know Iga, how she plays in the finals. It’s very difficult to beat her. I’ll stay positive and work on what I was missing today.” As Jabeur is quick to remind everyone, she earned her No. 2 ranking without points from three Slams, having skipped the Australian Open, lost in the first round of Roland Garros and received no points at Wimbledon. With that in mind, Jabeur already has her sights set on chasing Swiatek for the No.1 ranking next season. “I think her forehand has improved a lot and her serve has improved a lot. She’s always been solid on the backhand. That’s kind of hard. Physically she’s all over the place. She can carry any ball. It’s always hard to play someone who puts in an extra shot.” “It will always be great to compete with Iga. I was joking when I said I don’t like her. I’ll forgive her when she gives me a Rolex or something,” Jabeur joked. Having won both of their matches last year, Jabeur is now 2-3 against Swiatek. The Pole has stopped her in two major finals this season, first on clay in Rome and now in New York. Both matches featured key moments in the second set that saw Jabeur have chances to take it to a third set. Both times, Swiatek found her best tennis to hold off the Tunisian. “I think in general [she’s] he’s just playing better at the right time, in the important spots,” Jabeur said. “He knows exactly what to do. I feel like it improved a lot from last year to again early this year. “She works through a lot of things that come her way. She’s really set the bar really high. It’s great for our sport. I’m just going to keep doing my thing and hopefully catch her.” Jabeur is already targeting what would be her WTA Finals debut in Fort Worth, Texas. A successful run there could help her start to close the gap on the world No.1. “It’s like a mini Grand Slam, I call it,” Jaber said. “I’ve always dreamed of playing this. Maybe I will show myself there and build more confidence to really prepare for next season because I feel like I have a lot to show next season. “Getting the gap in the standings, I know he has a lot of defense points. I don’t have anybody. That’s the goal.”
