First imperial then resistant, the world number 1 Iga Swiatek won her first US Open on Saturday September 10 in New York, taking the best of the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (5th) 6-2, 7-5 in the final.
At 21, the Pole adds a third Grand Slam title to her collection, after her two coronations at Roland-Garros in 2020 and in June this year. She succeeds the New York winners of the Briton Emma Raducanu, who created the sensation in 2021, by winning after leaving the qualifications.
Faced with Ons Jabeur, who was playing her second consecutive Major final after the one lost two months ago at Wimbledon, she held her rank as favorite. Aggressive and sharp, Iga Swiatek quickly chained the winning blows, overtaking her rival, who appeared borrowed from the heart of Arthur-Ashe where she entered much more tense than usual.
Turn of the ninth game
The Pole broke her from the start, then two more times in this one-way first set, at the end of which she passed 90% of the first ball and attacked the net with great success (eight points scored out of 9 climbs ).
The Tunisian, who had managed to unbreak to respond to the loss of her first game of service by releasing beautiful uncrossed forehands, could not confirm this burst on her following commitments, betrayed by a first ball, yet one of her points strong, broken down.
Ons Jabeur during the US Open final on September 10, 2022. / AFP/Archives
At the start of the second set, after drawing on her concentration in her chair, closing her eyes and breathing deeply, Iga Swiatek resumed with a bang, with effective placed attacks and broke away 3-0.
Advantage that Ons Jabeur immediately set about erasing, finally letting go of his shots. Debreak followed by another because the Pole again took her service behind, after exchanges showing that a completely different match was then being played.
The ninth game was a turning point, during which Ons Jabeur cornered Iga Swiatek, who only owed his salvation to the unforced errors of the Tunisian. The latter thus wasted three break points and blamed herself for it by shouting her frustration. But, she breathed relief at 6-5 against her when her rival missed a match point. A short reprieve since in the tie-break, Iga Swiatek did not miss the opportunity to end on his second decisive opportunity in 1:51.
Great season
In New York, the world number 1 showed that she was not just a clay court player. Her victory on the cement of Flushing Meadows where she had, until this fourth participation, never passed the stage of the round of 16 demonstrates her dazzling progress, already glimpsed at the very beginning of the year at the Australian Open where she had reached the semi-finals.
In New York, the world number 1 demonstrated that she was not just a clay court player. / AFP/Archives
A success which comes a little more to crown a formidable season, since between February 20 and June 22, she chained no less than 37 victories which offered her six titles in a row, in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Rome then Roland-Garros.
An irresistible momentum finally stopped in the third round of Wimbledon by the French Alizé Cornet, which preceded a difficult start to the American summer, with early eliminations in Toronto then Cincinnati. But as the champion she has become, it didn’t take her long to resume her royal path.
