Iga Swiatek reaches first US Open final, will face fifth seed Ons Jabeur of Belgium in one of the final two matches.
Swiatek was trying to become the first female player to beat the No. 2 seed as she was seeking to become the first female player to beat the No. 1 as well.
Swiatek reached her third final of her career as well as becoming the first female player to reach the final at the US Open as she beat Russian Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-2 on Friday in a match also featuring Britain’s Anna Smashnova and Spain’s Sorana Cirstea.
“I started thinking just before the match. It’s one of those things that you never think of. I thought about it the whole walk up to the court. I thought, ‘I just need to do this’. She’s a tough opponent and she’s been playing very good lately, but every time she has a tough match, just like she is now against me, she comes back.”
Ons Jabeur, ranked 55th and ranked on the WTA Tour’s third highest-ranked player, lost to eighth seed Marion Bartoli in the second round.
After that defeat, it raised questions over whether Ons Jabeur would win a Grand Slam title for the first time.
“Of course, when the news [about Ons Jabeur] broke we all just, in that moment, were so emotional and shocked. Then of course we knew this was going to be a battle. I just want to end with saying that I am very happy for Ons because he deserves it. As an athlete, as a tennis player, he has gone through a lot in his career and I think he is deserved. It is very tough right now for his career, but he is definitely a very good player,” Swiatek said.
It’s unclear as to how much the final would mean to her.
“I think even though I have made it to the final now, I have also made it to the next tournament. I think as a professional athlete, whether I am in the top 20 or top 30, I always will dream about.