Perhaps Poland’s Iga Swiatek will take the torch from Serena Williams and dominate girls’s tennis the way in which the Compton-born legend as soon as did.
Swiatek regarded able to profitable many extra Grand Slam titles Saturday, as she saved her finest match of the U.S. Open fortnight for the ladies’s remaining, beating No. 5 seed Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Swiatek, up 6-5 in a second-set tiebreaker, fell flat on her again after she gained championship level when Jabeur smacked it lengthy.
“It’s New York, so loud, so loopy, so many temptations within the metropolis,’’ Swiatek, the primary Polish participant to win the Open, mentioned in the course of the on-court trophy presentation. “So many individuals I met who're so inspiring. I’m so proud I may deal with it mentally.’’
Getting into because the No. 1 seed, Swiatek turned the primary girl since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win two majors in a yr. The 21-year-old Swiatek additionally gained the French Open — her second profession victory at Roland Garros.
As she made her technique to the out of doors ESPN studio setup, a wave of followers, waving Poland flags, chanted “I-ga, I-ga.’’
This was Swiatek’s first U.S. Open remaining, however she regarded as if she’d been right here earlier than, exhibiting no nerves, simply as when she reeled off 37 straight wins earlier this yr. Tennis insiders have marveled at how she has each shot within the ebook.
On court docket, Swiatek thanked her coach for placing up together with her cussed methods and later mentioned: “I've a love-hate relationship with stubbornness. I do know I’m onerous to work with.’’
When she was offered the winner’s test of $2.6 million, Swiatek qupped, “I’m glad it’s not in money.’’
The one drama got here late within the second set in an Open remaining that felt anticlimactic after Williams’ farewell tour set an exhilarating tone at the start of the Grand Slam occasion.
At one juncture Saturday, Swiatek gained six straight video games, bridging the primary and second units, whereas pounding her groundstrokes.
Jabeur, of Tunisia, had superior to the Wimbledon remaining in July and hoped she had discovered from that have. She was the primary Arab participant to make a U.S. Open remaining.
Halfway by means of the second set, the proficient Jabeur lastly bought going. It bought heated late within the set, when it regarded as if Swiatek was in command.
Swiatek had match level at 6-5, however modified her racket, though it wasn’t damaged. She promptly misplaced three straight factors to arrange a tiebreaker. Swiatek rallied from 4-5 within the tiebreaker to win it — hitting a monstrous forehand winner down the road.
If the USTA had its druthers, a Swiatek-Jabeur matchup wouldn’t have been their best choice for the ladies’s remaining.
Final yr, there have been two Cinderella tales in qualifier Emma Raducanu of the UK and bubbly Canadian lefty Leylah Fernandez. Every of them was passed by the second spherical this fortnight.
This yr, there have been extra unique decisions, Naomi Osaka, a two-time Open champion who was raised in Queens, and Amanda Anisimova. They each went out in Spherical 1.
Jessica Pegula, who prides herself on being from Buffalo, the place her billionaire father owns the Payments and Sabres, made a candy run to the quarterfinals.
The pretty story, in fact, would’ve been Williams advancing to the ultimate in her final occasion, however that was all the time going to take a Flushing miracle. Queen Serena lasted into the third spherical, a stable exhibiting contemplating her bleak previous performances since she rejoined the tour at Wimbledon.
The extra life like possibility for advancing to the ultimate was Williams’ hopeful successor, Coco Gauff, the 18-year-old from Delray Seashore, Fla.
Gauff, who lives just some cities over from the place Williams has resided for years, in Palm Seashore Gardens, delivered her finest Open exhibiting in attending to the fourth spherical, however finally regarded her age.
Swiatek doesn’t have the offcourt charisma of these gamers. In reality, when requested how she’d have a good time, Swiatek mentioned she hadn’t thought of it and determined it could be finest after a grueling match to lie in mattress and relaxation.
If the ladies’s sport has an issue, it's that there are too many good gamers, however not sufficient nice ones just like the Williams sisters had been as soon as. Parity can harm plenty of group sports activities, and now it may have an effect on girls’s tennis.
Although she is at her finest on clay, Swiatek proper now's the highest hope for greatness in girls’s tennis.
“I’m simply glad I wasn’t crying,’’ Swiatek mentioned.
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