Iga Swiatek reaches first US Open final, will face fifth seed Ons Jabeur on Saturday
Iga Swiatek will reach the first US Open final when she faces fifth seed Ons Jabeur on Saturday. / Reuters / Matthew Stockman
Iga Swiatek, the reigning USTA Player of the Year, and the 18-time Grand Slam champion, will compete in her fifth US Open final when she takes on the third seed, Ons Jabeur, on Saturday.
This will mark the third time she has reached a US Open final, as the two-time USTA Women’s Singles champion reached the tournament’s fourth round in 2015. This is Swiatek’s ninth final in doubles, and second as a singles competitor.
This US Open doubles final will be a rematch of the 2015 title match between the current top women’s doubles pairing of Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro, as they beat Anett Kontaveit and Kaia Kanepi 6-4, 6-3. Since coming back into the singles scene, Swiatek has gone 27-12 in career Grand Slam singles finals, and was the runner-up in her last Slam final at Wimbledon.
“It will be really exciting, but it would have been a shock for me not to be in the final, even if it is a third time,” said Swiatek, who has had one career slam final.
“I’m very very excited. I’m going to work my hardest and focus on the tennis. Every time I’m on the court it would be great to be able to win a Grand Slam singles event, and I will try my best,” she added.
Swiatek is the eighth woman to compete in a final at this US Open, after Ana Ivanovic, Venus Williams, Carole Garcia, Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Martina Hingis, Amelie Mauresmo and Jennifer Capriati.
Swiatek, who is seeking her sixth title following the 2014 US Open