Uwelcome to what should be a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York for a thrilling finish to the US Open women’s singles.
This time 12 months ago we were gearing up for Emma Radukanu’s final against Canada’s Leila Fernandez, but fast forward to now and the spotlight is firmly on world number one Iga Svetek and her opponent, Tunisia’s Ons Jaber.
There was a sense that the third-round exit of the now-retired Serena Williams slightly affected the women’s draw, such was the buzz around a player considered by many to be the greatest of all time playing in her final tournament.
But if you’ve taken your eyes off the women’s draw since Serena’s loss, you’ll have missed some great tennis from both of this year’s finalists, with Swiatek in particular showing moments of brilliance even in a tournament where her form has hit both highs and lows.
This was in full evidence in her semi-final, where a sloppy start saw the Polish top seed lose the first set to Aryna Sabalenka before coming back to win the next two in emphatic fashion to take the match 3-6, 6-1, 6 -4.
Swiatek has had something of a Jekyll and Hyde in her for the past two weeks. At times we saw the form in which she won 37 straight matches earlier this season, including taking her second French Open title at Roland Garros.
In others, we were left wondering where that player had gone. However, she managed to stay above water and is a favorite to enter her third Grand Slam final.
However, in Ons Jabeur, Swiatek faces an opponent who is well-prepared to take full advantage of any lapses in focus or form. The Tunisian dropped just one set en route to the final and was truly dominant in her semi-final, dropping just four games against France’s 17th seed Caroline Garcia.
A beaten finalist at Wimbledon earlier this season, the 28-year-old is bidding to become the first Arab/African woman to win a Grand Slam. What a storied finish that would be for the final Grand Slam of the season.
Link to the source