World No. 1 Breaks US Open Drought

Iga Swiatek overcomes Ons Jabeur and the distractions of New York City
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 10, 2022 5:55 PM CDT
World No. 1 Breaks US Open Drought
Ons Jabeur serves Saturday during the women's singles final of the US Open in New York.   (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Iga Swiatek had never made it so far as the quarterfinals in the US Open. Her dry run ended Saturday, when the top seed and World No. 1 player defeated Ons Jabeur in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5). Swiatek, 21, rolled through the first set, the Washington Post reports, while Jabeur, of Tunisia, had trouble with her serve. Jabeur, 28, got back in it during the second set, despite a series of mishits and overhits, before Swiatek took the final three points for the title. The victory made Swiatek, of Poland, the second woman in the Open era to win her first three grand slam finals in straight sets, a feat accomplished by only Lindsay Davenport, per the Guardian. Swiatek won the French Open this year and in 2020.

After her abbreviated runs in the past, Swiatek worked this time on getting used to the volume and distractions of New York City, per the AP. "It's so loud, it's so crazy," she said after her victory. "So many temptations in the city, so many people I've met who are so inspiring. It's really mind-blowing for me." Swiatek is proud, she said, that she could handle it all mentally. Much of the noise Saturday came from her supporters, including some from home; she's the first player from Poland to win a Grand Slam singles title, per the New York Times. Asked what the title means to her and her country, Swiatek said she wasn't sure. "I gotta come back home and check, but I'm pretty sure that it's a lot," she said. "I can even hear what's going on right now on the stadium. Thank you, guys." (More US Open Tennis stories.)

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