World number one Inga Swietec created history when she defeated Ons Jabur of Tunisia 6-2 7-6 (5) in the US. Open the final on Saturday (10 September) at Flushing Meadows to claim their first trophy and third Grand Slam crown. Poland’s Sweetek fell on her back and covered her face with her hands after winning the tight second-set tiebreak when the fifth seeded shot went long.
“I really needed to be prepared and focus on the goals,” Sweetek said during the on-court trophy ceremony.
“It’s New York, it’s so loud, it’s so crazy. I’m so proud that I can handle it mentally.”
A message from the champion, @iga_swiatek , pic.twitter.com/kTQQwFTHpR— US Open Tennis (@usopen) 10 September 2022
It was two-time French Open champion Swietek’s first major title on the hard court and the 21-year-old is the first Polish woman to win the US Open.
Despite the loss, Jabeur will regain her world number two ranking when the tournament ends on Sunday.
Jabeur made history at Wimbledon when she became the first Arab woman to reach a major final. She added another line to the history books in New York, becoming the first African woman to reach a US Open championship match.
“Hopefully I can inspire as many generations as possible,” she said. “It’s the beginning of a lot of things.”
Swietek fired on Saturday to push Jaboor to the back of the court with his accurate serve and deep groundstroke to lead 3-0.
The top two players in the world arrive on Monday. pic.twitter.com/AMNIX1udbB— US Open Tennis (@usopen) 10 September 2022
Jabeur found range with his forehand to win back-to-back games for 3-2, but the momentum was short-lived as Sweetek broke back and took the first set of 30 minutes when the Tunisian’s backhand landed in the net.
With inputs from Reuters