Iga Swiatek reaches first US Open final, will face fifth seed Ons Jabeur
Iga Swiatek has reached her first US Open women’s singles final, where she will play fifth seed Ons Jabeur on Wednesday.
Swiatek, the defending champion and two-time defending champion, had reached the quarterfinals of this year’s tournament, where she lost in straight sets to qualifier Julia Görges in June.
Jabeur is the eighth seed, and third ranked player who has reached at least the quarterfinals of the last two US Open finals.
It’s unlikely that anyone can match Jabeur at her best, so this is a chance to give a little extra something to Swiatek’s repertoire at the US Open.
Before the US Open, Swiatek will have played one round of qualifying, and in her first round, she will play qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak of the Czech Republic.
Swiatek’s first three matches at women’s singles at Flushing Meadows include a four-setter against the 18th seed, the 2015 US Open finalist and 2010 Wimbledon champion Flavia Pennetta, and a four-setter against the eighth seed, the 2017 Wimbledon finalist and 2016 title holder Caroline Wozniacki.
Swiatek was expected to play the match of the event, but had an excuse for missing out: She was suffering with a cold.
The US Open has a reputation for being hard on players with colds, and Swiatek had even asked that her first-round match not be played at all.
But it has become apparent to those keeping tabs on her that she is very close to coming back from the illness.
With the US Open just days away, we had asked Swiatek what are her chances at this year’s US Open, and if she had a plan in place to make things happen:
“I’ve played in some really good places before and in tough places too, so this is definitely not going to be any different.
I’m just going to play my best tennis and try to play my best tournament. Every match is going to be hard
