US Open: Swiatek the winning machine resists New York temptations to relish latest slam glory

By Sports Desk September 10, 2022

New York City might not be Iga Swiatek's kind of place, but she has made an exception during this US Open fortnight.

The US Open balls, controversially lighter for the women than the men, might not be up Swiatek's street, but she made an exception for them too.

And if the match-up with Ons Jabeur in the Flushing Meadows final felt almost too close to call – most were forecasting three sets, flip a coin on the winner – well, perhaps Swiatek took exception.

Rising to the occasion of a grand slam final is what exceptional players do, making exceptions in times of need, taking exception to doubters, carrying off titles. If anyone was beginning to doubt Swiatek after her mid-summer dip, this Arthur Ashe Stadium triumph banished the thought she is anything other than exceptional.

At times her play was brilliant, and when her level dropped, as it did in the second set, she was gritty. In the end, she was not as clutch as she might have liked, unable to take a match point at 6-5 on Jabeur's serve and pushed into a tie-break, but a 6-2 7-6 (7-5) victory goes into the record books.

In the end, that's all that counts. Habitual winners find a way, down one path or another.

The second set was a curious confection, both players losing their fluency but fighting hard for every point, tenacity overriding talent at times as the high stakes involved often brought the level down.

Swiatek appeared distracted by a call from the crowd at one stage, that New York bustle again getting in her head.

On the eve of the tournament, Swiatek said of New York: "I wouldn't choose it as a place to live because I'm more of a person that needs a calm place with the proper environment to rest. New York is kind of always alive. That's not for sure my place."

So, Iga, how does New York feel now?

"It's so loud, it's so crazy," she said at Saturday's trophy presentation. "There were so many temptations in the city, so many people I've met who were so inspiring. It's really mind blowing for me and I'm so proud I could handle it mentally."

The 21-year-old has a third grand slam title and a first away from the French Open, where she was champion at the pandemic-delayed slam in October 2020 and again this year.

Swiatek is a Pole on a roll when it comes to the big occasions, having won 20 consecutive sets in finals, all tournaments considered, and remarkably she is the first woman to win two or more slams in a single season since Angelique Kerber in 2016.

These two women will be numbers one and two in the new WTA rankings, and there could be a real rivalry brewing. Or there might just be a slew of these trophies coming Swiatek's way.

She is the first women to win the French Open and the US Open in the same year since Serena Williams in 2013.

If Williams does not play again, as we now expect, then Swiatek will be a very different type of figurehead for the women's game, an introvert who goes about her business quietly, but purposefully.

She becomes just the ninth woman in the Open Era to earn a third singles slam before turning 22, joining an illustrious list also featuring Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, Steffi Graf and Chris Evert.

As Jabeur came charging back at Swiatek in the second set, recovering from 3-0 and 4-2 adrift to take it to the tie-break, thoughts turned to what a victory for the Tunisian would have meant.

A tournament that began as the Serena Williams show, a celebration of a player who alongside sister Venus opened the door for so many black players, might have ended with the triumph of an African Arab woman, one whose driving force is to see more players from her continent, and of her ethnicity, make strides in professional tennis.

Jabeur's time will probably come, but this defeat will sting, just as losing to Elena Rybakina in the title match did at Wimbledon two months ago.

"I want to thank the crowd for cheering me on. I really tried, but Iga didn't make it easy for me," Jabeur said. "She deserved to win today. I don't like her very much right now but it's okay."

She vowed to "get that title sometime soon", but with Swiatek around that might be difficult.

Swiatek is the second woman since the slams opened themselves up to professionals in 1968 to win her first six sets in grand slam singles finals. For the record, Lindsay Davenport was the first.

This final came at the end of a tournament that Swiatek entered with low expectations. Defeat to Alize Cornet at Wimbledon halted her 37-match winning run, the longest on the women's tour this century, and it was followed by a string of results that saw Swiatek go no further than the quarter-finals in her next three events.

"Maybe I'm the kind of person who is never going to trust myself," Swiatek said, heading into the final.

She is a different model of champion, perhaps not the kind they are used to or particularly get behind in New York. There is no razzmatazz, no edge: just intense focus.

Swiatek is always doubting, but always looking for ways to improve, and now, when it comes to finals, always getting the job done.

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  • Manchester United out to prove WSL title credentials against resurgent Arsenal Manchester United out to prove WSL title credentials against resurgent Arsenal

    The Women’s Super League is back after a break for the international fixtures with a blockbuster clash between Manchester United and Arsenal.

    United have set down an early marker and are unbeaten so far this term (W3 D1). Arsenal, meanwhile, have already parted ways with their boss of three years, Jonas Eidevall. It has been a tumultuous start of the season for the Gunners (W2 D2 L1).

    Arsenal, however, may feel like they have turned a corner under caretaker boss Renee Slegers, the former assistant to Eidevall who has stepped into the interim role. Picking up a much-needed three points against West Ham last time out kept them in touch with the top four.

    The Gunners have also got their Champions League campaign back on track after losing their first game to Bayern Munich. They defeated Valerenga comfortably, so will be looking to keep up the momentum with a third straight win.

    United’s strong start to the season has seen them quietly go about their work with an impressive steeliness to their performances. They have only played four games and have a game in hand against Chelsea due to a clash with the Blues’ Champions League schedule.

    Marc Skinner’s side are not quite the same as the team that won the FA Cup last season. The most notable absence is goalkeeper Mary Earps, who left in the summer, along with club captain Katie Zelem, Nikita Parris and Lucia Garcia.

    That said, the early signs suggest the summer’s significant changes to the squad have not halted the progress made in 2023-24, a season that saw the club lift the first major domestic silverware in their history.

    This fixture will be Skinner’s 100th game in charge of United in all competitions. His win rate with the Red Devils (62.6% – 62/99) is by far his best with a team across his managerial career (47% at Birmingham City, 21% at Orlando Pride).

    The Opta supercomputer is anticipating a close encounter on Sunday. Despite Arsenal’s early troubles, they are given a 38.9% chance of getting the away win. United are only just behind on 35.1% and the probability of a draw is 26.0%.

    It is certainly a match that has all the ingredients to be a thriller. But where might the game be won and lost?

    United have only lost one of their last four home games against Arsenal in the WSL (W2 D1), drawing 2-2 with the Gunners in this fixture last season.

    Their good early form this season has been partly down to their defensive success and the ‘red wall’ they have constructed. Skinner knows that to challenge for the WSL title, his team must be solid at the back, and they have some of the best numbers in the league.

    United's red wall

    United have only lost one of their last four home games against Arsenal in the WSL (W2 D1), drawing 2-2 with the Gunners in this fixture last season.

    Their good early form this season has been partly down to their defensive success and the ‘red wall’ they have constructed. Skinner knows that to challenge for the WSL title, his team must be solid at the back, and they have some of the best numbers in the league.

    United boast the best defence in the WSL this season, conceding only once. Their underlying numbers are good, too. Their 3.95 expected goals against is bettered by only Arsenal (3.56), albeit from one game fewer. Both sides have kept three clean sheets.

    United average 0.98 xGA per game in the WSL this term, while they have faced 10.25 shots per game.

     

    Losing Earps to Paris Saint-Germain was a concern for United fans, but they should feel assured that their new number one has risen to the challenge.

    Before joining United last summer, Phallon Tullis-Joyce was a regular starter for both her former clubs Reims and Seattle Reign. She knew on her arrival at United that she would be in the shadow of Earps but that did not discourage her. Fast forward a year, and the American’s 93.3% save percentage is the best in the WSL this season.

    Tullis-Joyce has a goals prevented figure of 2.74, having conceded just once from an expected goals on target (xGOT) figure of 3.74. Having saved almost three goals more than she ‘should’ have, Tullis-Joyce is the best-performing goalkeeper in the WSL based on the metric.

    United also boast some of the brightest young talent in the league and Skinner is finding a way to cultivate their skills.

    Maya Le Tissier became the youngest player to reach 100 WSL starts when she featured against Brighton last time out, breaking the record set by Lauren Hemp in December last year.

    She has also been a feature of United’s prowess on and off the ball. Le Tissier marked her milestone start with a strong performance at the Amex Stadium, leading United for touches (80), passes (67) and completed passes (56).

    Indeed, no United player has had as many touches (351) as the defender this term. She also shone for England during the international break combining with club-mate Grace Clinton for the Lionesses’ second goal in their 2-1 win against South Africa.

    Renee's renaissance

    With back-to-back wins and six goals in their two games since Eidevall’s departure, the Arsenal dressing room will certainly feel they are starting to get things back on track. And with a new manager reportedly not close to being announced, interim boss Slegers has the opportunity to prove her credentials for the role.

    Arsenal have scored six goals from 4.58 xG in their past two matches. Whereas under Eidevall the Gunners were missing chances with regularity, they have seemingly picked up their finishing under interim boss Slegers. They had scored four goals from 7.0 xG under Eidevall in their first four league matches.

     

    Slegers certainly looks like she’s instilled some extra confidence in her players.

    Arsenal have won their last three away games in the WSL and could win four in a row on the road in the league for the first time since December 2022 (eight). That would be the kind of momentum they need in order to challenge United and the other top four sides.

    They are beginning to realise some of the potential they showed in pre-season, and the dynamism they lacked last season when they ultimately fell short of a title challenge.

    Summer signing Mariona Caldentey has finally got the WSL goal her performances have merited. The former Barcelona star has created 12 chances this season, and accumulated 1.96 expected assists (xA) – the most in the Gunners’ squad.

    Her impressive performance in the Champions League win over Valerenga felt like the catalyst she needed. Two goals in two games have proved she has the ability to provide the kind of threat from midfield that Arsenal have previously lacked.

    The Gunners may need to lean on their more experienced talent, especially when it comes to changing the game from the bench. Since the beginning of last season, no player has been directly involved in more WSL goals as a substitute than Stina Blackstenius (six – five goals, one assist), with four of her last five goal involvements coming from the bench (three goals, one assist). Last time out against West Ham she helped turn the tide, too.

    The biggest change under Slegers has been her desire to commit to a number one, which Eidevall seemed to be on the fence over.

    He added to the goalkeeper ranks this summer in the form of Dutch international Daphne van Domselaar, and that’s who Slegers has committed to.

    Van Domeslaar, like Tullis-Joyce, has kept three clean sheets this term. She has conceded just twice from 12 shots on target faced, while she’s prevented 2.2 goals with her stops. Her 83.3% save percentage is tied for second in the WSL along with Leicester City’s Janina Leitzig, behind Tullis-Joyce. 

    That’s a far cry from last season, where first-choice goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger slightly underperformed, conceding 17 from 16.16 on target, while her save percentage was just 66%.

    Losses in key games last season meant the Gunners were left behind by Man City and Chelsea in the title race. Settling on a reliable goalkeeper may just give Arsenal the solid grounding they need this time around.

    Living in Graceland

    Clinton, who began her professional career at Everton, signed for United in 2022. After loan spells at Bristol City and Tottenham last season, her breakout campaign came last year, and she is already being hailed by some as a generational talent. Her numbers this season suggest those assertions may not be wide of the mark.

    She won the PFA Young Player of the Year for her performances with Spurs last term, and her name will surely be on the lips of her England team-mates Alessia Russo, Beth Mead and Leah Williamson as she showed Sarina Wiegman why she should be one of the first names on the team sheet over the international break.

    United have struck gold with the 21-year-old and she is the first player to score in three of her first four WSL appearances for the club. Her three goals for the Red Devils is already just one fewer than she managed in her first 34 outings in the competition (0 in 14 for Everton, four in 20 for Tottenham).

     

    Competition in this league is tough, but Clinton is one of five WSL players to score three goals this season, leading the charts along with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd of Chelsea, last year’s Golden Boot winner Khadija Shaw of Man City, Rachel Daly of Aston Villa and Brighton’s Kiko Seike.

    Clinton is also a creator. Though she is yet to provide an assist, she has crafted six chances for her club-mates, with only Ella Toone having set up more among United’s squad (seven).

    It is not just her impressive attacking statistics that make Clinton stand out. She leads the way in the WSL this season for duels (72), winning half of those (36), a figure that only four players can better in the competition, including Arsenal’s Caldentey (38). Clinton has also won 80% of her tackles (12/15).

    United fans are hoping their young talent will ensure they get to the promised land and add to their first major domestic trophy from last season.

    While Clinton has been phenomenal, Elizabeth Terland has netted twice from a team-high 1.76 xG, and the Norway international leads United’s squad for shots (14) and touches in the opposition’s box (23). Arsenal will need to be wary of her, too.

    Arsenal will hope their own exciting prodigy will be able to come to the fore if selected. Finally off the mark in her maiden WSL campaign is Rosa Kafaji, who was hailed ahead of her move in the summer as one of the most exciting young talents in Europe. Scoring against West Ham last time out should give her the boost she needed in front of goal.  

    This match-up will be another early indication as to whether United can really challenge for the title as they did in 2022-23. At the beginning of the season, the Opta supercomputer gave Skinner’s side a 1.9% chance of winning the league. Despite their bright start, that likelihood has now dipped to 1.2% with Chelsea’s perfect record, but a win on Sunday could change that.

     

    Arsenal are up against it given their early missteps. Only one team has won the WSL title after winning just one of their opening four matches, and that was Liverpool in 2014 (W1 D3).

    Ahead of the season, Arsenal had a 16.1% chance of winning the title – that has now plummeted to just 1.8%, albeit it is still a better chance than United have, according to our model.

    United and Arsenal will go at this one with everything, both wanting to keep pace with Chelsea and Man City, who lead the standings.

    Will Arsenal’s renaissance continue, or will Skinner’s Red Devils have the metal to prove themselves as title candidates?

  • WTA Finals: Sabalenka, Swiatek and the battle for number one WTA Finals: Sabalenka, Swiatek and the battle for number one

    Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are once again embroiled in a tussle for the year-end number one spot in the WTA rankings.

    Last year, Swiatek finished as the year-end number one, with a flawless display at the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun seeing her top Sabalenka, who had been in pole position.

    Sabalenka will be out to avoid a similar fate this time around, with the WTA Finals moving to Riyadh.

    Here, we preview the key storylines ahead of the tournament.

    Sabalenka and Swiatek go head-to-head... again

    It has been a fantastic season for both of these players, who have proved their credentials as the standout duo on the WTA Tour.

    Sabalenka has scooped two grand slam titles, triumphing at the Australian Open and the US Open.

    Swiatek, meanwhile, won the French Open and collected bronze at Roland-Garros at the Paris Olympics. Between them, the pair have won nine Tour-level titles in 2024.

    Sabalenka will guarantee her place at the top of the world heading into 2025 should she win her three group-stage matches in Riyadh.

    The Belarusian takes on Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, world number five Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini, this year's Wimbledon and French Open runner-up, in her group.

    Sabalenka is the first player to make successive WTA Finals appearances as the number one since Serena Williams in 2013 and 2014.

    The 26-year-old has reeled off 46 match wins across grand slams and WTA 1000 events this year, which is one more than Swiatek (45).

     

    Swiatek, on the other hand, has Coco Gauff, US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova to contend with.

    Since the reintroduction of the round-robin format in 2003, Swiatek has conceded the fewest games of any player to win the WTA Finals, dropping only 20 games en route to the title last year - breaking Williams' record of 32 from 2012.

    Swiatek downed Pegula in last year's final, and dropped just a single game. That made her the player to concede the fewest games in a WTA Finals title match. Martina Navratilova (1983) and Kim Clijsters (2003) previously shared the record, conceding two games in respective finals.

    She is also one of only two players, along with Williams, to win the tournament without dropping a set since the tournament's format was altered 21 years ago.

    Swiatek could become the first player to win the WTA Finals on consecutive occasions as the second seed. Among this year's qualifiers, the 23-year-old (75%, 9-3) holds the highest winning percentage at the WTA Finals.

    Since 2003, the Pole is, however, the only top seed to win all three group matches and not reach the final at that year's WTA Finals, losing to Sabalenka in their semi-final in 2022.

    The key insights for the other contenders

    Since 2003, Gauff (2022-2024) is only the second player to reach three consecutive editions of the WTA Finals before turning 21, after Maria Sharapova (2004-2007). 

    Gauff is aiming to become the fourth American to win the WTA Finals before turning 21 after Chris Evert (1972, 1973 and 1975), Tracy Austin (1980) and Williams (2001).

    Paolini has had a fine year, and will become only the fourth Italian to appear at the WTA Finals after Francesca Schiavone (2010), Sara Errani (2012, 2013) and Flavia Pennetta (2015).

     

    At the age of 28 years and 303 days, she will become the second-oldest player to make their maiden WTA Finals appearance as a top-five ranked player, after Li Na (29 years and 241 days) in 2011 – since the WTA rankings were first published in 1975. Paolini (18) won the joint-most matches at grand slam events in 2024, along with Sabalenka. 

    Meanwhile, only Swiatek (five) and Sabalenka (four) have won more WTA-level titles in 2024 than Rybakina (three).

    At the age of 30 years and 258 days on the day of the final, Pegula could become the oldest maiden-winner of the WTA Finals since the event’s inauguration in 1972, surpassing Jana Novotna (29 years and 52 days) in 1997.

    In Cancun last year, Pegula became the first player to face the WTA's top four players at a single event, since the rankings were first published in 1975.

    Since the event's inauguration in 1972, Zheng will become only the second player from China to appear at the WTA Finals after Li Na (2011-2013).

    Excluding alternates, Krejcikova (13) will be the first player ranked outside the WTA's top 10 to appear at the WTA Finals since Vera Zvonareva (11) in 2004.

  • Zverev reaches milestone ATP semi-final after Tsitsipas victory in Paris Zverev reaches milestone ATP semi-final after Tsitsipas victory in Paris

    Alexander Zverev became just the third active player to reach 20 ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals on Friday at the Paris Masters after his victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

    Zverev, who is chasing his seventh Masters 1000 title and second of the season, needed an hour and 41 minutes to secure a 7-5 6-4 triumph over his Greek opponent. 

    The pair exchanged blows early on, but it would be Zverev who claimed the decisive point, breaking Tsitsipas' serve in the 11th game.

    Zverev then saved an immediate break point in the following game, but was able to close out the opener to gain the early advantage in the French capital. 

    A break of serve came much sooner for Zverev in the second set, winning the third game to put himself in the driving seat for the remainder of the contest. 

    He ended the encounter in style, serving three consecutive love games to seal his progression to the final four, where he will face either Holger Rune or Alex de Minaur. 

    Data Debrief: Alexander the Great

    Zverev has now reached his 20th ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, equalling Andy Roddick for the seventh-most since the format’s introduction in 1990.

    He is just the eighth player in history to reach 20 ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals. Zverev joins Novak Djokovic (78), Rafael Nadal (76), Roger Federer (66), Andy Murray (33), Andre Agassi (32), Pete Sampras (31) and Roddick (20) to hit that total. 

    Zverev also became the first player born in the 1990s to earn 100 Top 20 wins (100-101). Daniil Medvedev, born in 1996, is second, holding a 99-73 record.

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