| venue: Flushing Meadows, New York date: August 29th to September 11th |
| coverage: Daily radio commentary on BBC Sounds and BBC Sport websites and apps, and select live text commentary and match reports on websites and apps |
World No. 1 Iga Spheretek capped off a dominating season by defeating Tunisia’s No. 5 seed Onz Jabbar at the US Open to claim her second major title in 2022.
Poland’s 21-year-old Swiatek won 6-2 7-6 (7-5) to win the final Grand Slam trophy of the season on New York’s hard courts.
After a one-sided first set, the 28-year-old Jabeur calmed down midway through the second set, but it wasn’t enough to stop Swiatek from winning a third major title.
Swiatek’s two previous wins have come on clay at the French Open.
Jabbar also lost in the Wimbledon final in July and was looking forward to one of the sport’s four major titles.
The Flushing Meadows final saw the two leading players on this year’s WTA Tour go head-to-head, but Swiatek’s dominant performance shows why she’s so far behind the rest. showed.
Swiatek is still number 1 in the world rankings, and even if she had lost, she would still be number 1 in the world rankings.
Swiatek demonstrates quality and resilience that underscores its superiority
After Australia’s world number one Ashleigh Barty retired in March, Swiertek seized the opportunity to take over as the tour’s dominant player.
Earlier this year, she had a 37-game winning streak and six in a row, including the French Open at Roland Garros.
After experiencing an understandable dip that ended her winning streak in the fourth round at Wimbledon, Swiatek slowly reasserts her authority in New York.
Her best performance was saved for the final.
“I didn’t expect much. I had a very difficult time prior to this tournament,” said Siwiatek, who admitted she disliked the lighter balls used by the women at the US Open.
Swiatek, who has won his last nine finals without dropping a set, including his first major victory at the 2020 French Open, has laid the groundwork for his next victory with a confident start.
But she also needed to show some resilience at times in the second set.
After failing to convert any of the two break points for a 4-0 lead, Swiatek suddenly leveled at 4-4 and saved three break points to prevent Jabeur from leading 5-4.
Scoreboard pressure started to affect Jabeur in the twelfth game, with the Tunisian leading 30–0 and scoring his first championship point with a loose forehand.
Swiatek missed an opportunity with a backhand long after changing racquets, but regained composure in the tiebreaker and won by his second championship point when Jabeur hit a forehand long.
The two exchanged a warm hug in the middle of the court as Swiertek, who became the first woman to win seven titles in a season since Serena Williams in 2014, celebrated in front of the team.
Jabbar ‘working hard’ to win first major
In contrast, Jabbar looked emotional as he sat with his head in his hands as he suffered two straight Grand Slam final losses.
Entering the match, Jabbar said he felt he had learned a lesson from Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina from her loss at Wimbledon in July.
So she got off to a quick start before fading away. Here she paid for her slow start.
Jabbar made only 48% of his first serves in the first set, and Swirtek, who won more returning games than anyone else this year, pounced with a relentless return to score the opener just 30 minutes later. .
Jabbar’s serve improved in the second set, but the number of unforced errors increased and she couldn’t take full advantage of Cyphirtek’s slight dip.
“Iga was not easy for me. She deserved to win,” said Jabbar, who became the first African woman to reach a US Open final during the Open era.
“Winning or losing is part of tennis. I struggled to win my first WTA title. It took me a long time. That’s why I believe in this. [winning a major] This will take some time.
“The most important thing is to learn from losing the final and accept it.
“I am definitely not the type to give up. I am confident that I can reach the final again.
analysis
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller
Iga Swiatek arrived at Flushing Meadows feeling unsure.
These courts are a little on the fast side for her, and the ball is a little too light, and the 21-year-old was still trying to pick himself up after his 37-match winning streak at Wimbledon came to an end.
But against Once-Jabbar, she emphasized her prominence in the women’s game. No one in the women has won her seven titles in the same year since Serena her Williams eight years ago.
But Jabber is getting closer and closer – and it’s easy to forget just how much progress she’s made this year.
The Tunisian, who was world number 10 at the beginning of the year, returns to number two in the rankings. Along the way, she won her prestigious WTA event in Madrid and is now in back-to-back Grand Slam finals.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
