Ons Jabeur’s illustrious, ever-increasingly pioneering career has been marked by a paucity of effortless or swift accomplishments. Her achievement is the result of slow, steady development, with no steps skipped. The move from her illustrious junior career to the top 100 was difficult enough, and her ascent since then has been gradual. However, this indicates that she has established a solid base and has rarely retreated.
Jabeur’s most recent accomplishment was reaching her first grand slam final at Wimbledon earlier in the summer. Although she did not win, the experience has only bolstered her confidence and composure in crucial situations.
All of this confidence was on display when Jabeur defeated Caroline Garcia, the summer’s hottest player, 6-1, 6-3 to reach her first US Open final and second consecutive grand slam final. She is the first Arab and African woman to reach the final of the US Open.
“It seems more real to be back in the finals,” Jabeur added. “I was living the dream at Wimbledon, and I couldn’t believe it. Even immediately after the match, I was unaware that I had already accomplished something remarkable. Now I can only hope that I’m adjusting to it.”
In a contest between the two best players in the world, Iga Swiatek will present Jabeur with the greatest conceivable challenge in the final. Swiatek defeated Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 after twice going behind a break in a close, intense, three-set semi-final. Swiatek took the final four games of a high-quality third set to secure the victory. It is also her second major slam final of the year, following her victory at the French Open, and her first match on a surface other than clay.
Swiatek, the No. 1 player in the world, said of the third-set deficit, “I didn’t anticipate much from myself because Aryna is a fantastic server, and I wasn’t sure if I could break her back.” However, I believe I simply played on an equal playing field, so that’s excellent.
Sabalenka still lives and dies by her offensive, but she has found a way to channel her power over the past 18 months, reaching a career-high of No. 2 last year. Having resolved the serving troubles that plagued her throughout the season, she has played her best tennis of the year in New York.
Swiatek was still striving for the confidence and level of play she possessed earlier in the year, despite reaching her maiden US Open semifinal with clear improvements following a difficult summer following the end of her 37-match winning run.
Sabalenka’s penetrating shotmaking tore through Swiatek, who struggled terribly with her timing and sprayed errors, in the early parts of the semi-final, which mirrored their form entering the match. However, down a set, Swiatek took action. She eliminated her errors, absorbed Sabalenka’s first shot with a fantastic defense, and played a flawless tennis set.
As the tempo climbed and both players exchanged punches in a tense concluding set, Sabalenka took the initiative, establishing a two-break advantage. Swiatek immediately regained control of the match after falling behind 2-4. She eliminated unforced errors, withstood Sabalenka’s maiden service break, and cruised through four games to victory.
She stated, “I’m typically hard on myself, but these past few days I’m just thankful to be through to this round of the competition.”
Garcia had arrived at Arthur Ashe Stadium earlier in the evening as the most in-form player of the summer. She had won thirteen consecutive matches, dating back to her expansive title run in Cincinnati from qualifying, with her success being fueled by serving at an exceptionally high level and overwhelming her opponents with the unrelenting attack.
But to date, Garcia’s career has been mostly defined by her intellect. In contrast to Jabeur, Garcia is inconsistent, and her peak performances have occurred in brief spurts. It was immediately apparent that she was experiencing nervousness as she dropped serve in a game riddled with errors.
The increasing maturity of Jabeur enabled her to handle the situation considerably better. She served exceptionally well, consistently finding the sweet areas and exposing Garcia’s superior return positioning. She played tennis with discipline, peppering Garcia with slices and tempo variations while conceding very little.
Jabeur stated that it was a rare occurrence when her coach, Issam Jellali, had nothing to say because she had executed their game plan to perfection. As a result, Jabeur’s rating will revert to No. 2 following the competition.
“I feel like this is my last chance, so I’m giving it my all,” said Jabeur. “Also learning from the Rome and Madrid finals. But I am optimistic about this one. The most important thing is not to look back with regret since I’m going to give this my best. Even if this one does not occur, I am confident that another one will.”
