(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Open women’s tournament reached its conclusion with a new champion after a thrilling, historic two weeks.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland faced off against world No. 5 Ons Jabeur of Tunisia at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, on Saturday afternoon.
Swiatek topped Jabeur in a swift first set, with nigh unstoppable returns. But Jabeur fought back in the second set, pushing Swiatek on her forehand. Swiatek pushed through to win the second set in a tiebreaker.
With this win, she became the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win two major championships in the same season. She is also the first Polish woman to reach the U.S. Open final and win it.
The Polish athlete, who has spoken out in support of Ukraine during the war with Russia, said during the trophy ceremony that in a time “when we gotta stay united and support ourselves and stay together, I’m pretty happy if I can unite people with sport.”
Swiatek, 21, is already a two-time French Open champion. She acknowledged during the trophy ceremony that she and Jabeur were forming “a pretty nice rivalry.”
Jabeur, 28, meanwhile made history as the first African and Arab woman to reach the final of the tournament.
“I take it as a great privilege and as good pressure for me,” she said recently, according to The New York Times. “I love that I have that kind of support, and I always try to be positive in my life and see even bad things in a positive way. I don’t just play for myself. I play also for my country.”
To reach the final, Swiatek came back from losing the first set in the semifinals to beat Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Jabeur beat Caroline Garcia 6-1, 6-3 in a dominant 66-minute match.
“I know I’m gonna keep working hard, and we’ll get that title sometime soon,” Jabeur said during the trophy ceremony Saturday.
The 2022 U.S. Open has been a memorable one. It kicked off with Serena Williams’ possible last run, which was ended in the third round by Ajla Tomljanovic. Tomljanovic was, in turn, defeated by Jabeur in the fifth round.
Meanwhile, on the men’s side, memorable matches included America’s Frances Tiafoe knocking out Rafael Nadal, while Nick Kyrgios defeated world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev. Tiafoe then defeated Andrey Rublev to become the first American man to reach the semifinals of the U.S. Open since Andy Roddick in 2006. Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tiafoe Friday in the semifinals and will face off against Casper Ruud in the men’s final on Sunday.
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