The 2022 US Open final will feature an epic clash between Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur in Flushing Meadows. The penultimate matchup is going to happen this Saturday, and it promises to give tennis fans a ton of US Open 2022 highlights to enjoy.
The World No. 1 and No. 5 may be highly favoured in the SBOTOP US Open 2022 odds, but both had long and winding roads to get this far. This is Jabeur’s second consecutive Grand Slam final after Wimbledon, while this is Swiatek’s first since successfully defending her French Open crown last June.
The head-to-head between these two form players is level with two wins apiece. So not only would this match determine who brings home the crown, but it’ll also give the winner the bragging rights over the loser.
Ons Jabeur continue to blaze trails
Known as the Minister of Happiness, Ons Jabeur brought more smiles to her country when she demolished Caroline Garcia 6-1, 6-3 in their semi-finals matchup on Thursday.
Jabeur just became the first Arab and African to make it this far in Flushing Meadows, which is quite impressive considering that her nation has never produced a Top 10 tennis player ever, and it’s clear that she won’t be content until she wins her first-ever Grand Slam.
She also became the first player to advance to the final in Wimbledon and at the US Open in the same season since Serena Williams three years ago.
Caroline Garcia came into this game with lots of confidence following her impressive victories over the likes of Bianca Andreescu and Coco Gauff in this event. She was enjoying a 13-match winning streak and has won 31 matches and three tournaments since June.
But that didn’t matter at all against Jabeur, who extended her Grand Slam winning streak over the French international to three matches. If you go back to their junior days, all in all, Jabeur has defeated Garcia seven times in seven tries.
The World No. 5’s powerful serve was the key to her win. Ons Jabeur had eight aces, 21 winners, won points on 83-per cent of her first serves compared to only 48-per cent for Caroline Garcia, and she never faced a single break point throughout the match.
“It was so important,” bared Jabeur. “I know she comes in the court and puts a lot of pressure on my second serve, so I had to put my first serves in.”
Following her dominant performance which lasted for only 66 minutes, Jabeur tossed her racket away and let out a loud scream to soak it all in.
“It feels amazing. After Wimbledon there was a lot of pressure on me. I’m really relieved I can back up my results. The hardcourt season started a little bit bad, but I’m really happy I could make the final here,” said Jabeur.
Iga Swiatek eager to be back on top once again
In stark contrast, Iga Swiatek had to fight tooth and nail in order to make it to her first-ever US Open final, beating Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in two hours and 11 minutes to be exact.
This marks the third career Grand Slam final for Iga Swiatek – her second this season and first that’s not on the clay courts of Roland Garros. She boasts a 2-0 record thus far and she’s keen to extend it to three.
Swiatek got off to a slow start as Sabalenka took the lead in the opener when she converted her fourth break point of the 2-2 game with her strong forehand. The big-hitting Belarusian launched a volley which gave her a second break to claim the first set.
However, the World No. 1 cut out most of the errors she had earlier to turn things around. The Pole broke the Belarusian at love in the opening game, and her improved defence was the key for her to draw level.
In the decider, Sabalenka took a 3-2 lead but Swiatek stayed composed. The Pole saved her best for last as she broke back at love for 4-4 and she didn’t look back ever since.
This was the fifth-ever meeting between Swiatek and Sabalenka. The Belarusian won their first encounter at last year’s WTA Finals, but the Pole has won all four of their matches this season.
“I feel like Aryna served pretty well today, better than on our other matches,” said Swiatek.
“I just went all in, you know. I’m pretty happy because I feel like we were both kind of sometimes risking, because the pace was really, really high,” she added.
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