Iga Swiatek defeats Aryna Sabalenka and reaches U.S. Open final - Los Angeles Times
Advertisement
Sports

Iga Swiatek rallies to defeat Aryna Sabalenka and reach U.S. Open final

Iga Swiatek, of Poland, reacts after defeating Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus.
Iga Swiatek celebrates after defeating Aryna Sabalenka during the U.S. Open women’s semifinals Thursday night.
(Charles Krupa / Associated Press)
By Helene Elliott
Sports ColumnistFollow
Share via

NEW YORK â€”  When world No. 1 Iga Swiatek went down 2-0 to Aryna Sabalenka to start the third set of their U.S. Open semifinal on Thursday, she felt down emotionally, too.

“I wasn’t expecting too much from myself,†Swiatek said. “Aryna is a great server. I wasn’t sure I could break back.â€

As usual, Swiatek was too critical of herself. She broke Sabalenka’s serve to pull even at 2-2 and broke again for 4-4, gaining the momentum and confidence to finish off a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Swiatek, 21, is the first Polish woman to reach the U.S. Open final.

Advertisement

Swiatek, a two-time French Open champion, will face No. 5 seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia on Saturday. Jabeur seized command of her semifinal from the outset on Thursday, taking merely 66 minutes to complete a 6-1, 6-3 rout of No. 17 Caroline Garcia, who had been riding a 13-match winning streak.

Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, right, shakes hands with Jannik Sinner, of Italy, after Alcaraz won their match in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, early Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Sports

Elliott: Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner’s thriller at U.S. Open shows men’s tennis in good hands

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s late U.S. Open quarterfinal thriller was a sign of something good and shows the future of men’s tennis is in good hands.

Swiatek and Jabeur have split their previous four matches. They split the two they’ve played on hard courts. “Iga never loses finals, so it’s going to be very tough,†said Jabeur, said. “I know she struggled a little bit with the balls here, but I don’t see her struggling much, to be honest with you. She’s playing awesome. It’s going to be tough match.â€

Swiatek returned the respect. “She has such good hands,†Swiatek said. “She’s solid on the baseline and when she’s going in.â€

Advertisement

Swiatek said the turning point Thursday was the bathroom break she took after losing a jittery first set. “I remember earlier when I was younger, all I did in the bathroom between sets when I lost was cry,†she said in an on-court interview. “This time I can actually think about what to change and actually problem-solve.â€

It worked. “I’m always hard on myself but I’m just happy to be at this stage of the tournament,†Swiatek said.

The winner on Saturday will earn $2.6 million. The runnerup will earn $1.3 million.

More to Read

Sports
Helene Elliott

Helene Elliott was with the Los Angeles Times’ Sports department from 1989 to 2024, first as a staff writer and then, starting in 2006, as a columnist. She became the first female journalist to be honored with a plaque in the Hall of Fame of a major professional sport as the 2005 winner of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Elmer Ferguson Award, awarded to writers “who have brought honor to journalism and to hockey.†A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she has covered 18 Olympics.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Most Read in Sports

Advertisement