Iga Swiatek of Poland is the top ranked player. She will become the first African woman to win a Grand Slam singles title if she wins. She has already won two French Open crowns, one in 2020 and one this year. Who will be the winner? We queried our experts.
She can do what she pleases. Her slice game will determine if she can win. The slice and dice of Jabeur may be taken down by the athletic game of SwiaTEK. The low service percentage has been a factor in the win. The open door in women's tennis is shown by this.
If she doesn't get a high percentage of first serves in, her second serve will be destroyed. Swiatek cannot find rhythm if she uses her drop shots and imaginative game.
It can be a great disrupter. She will be able to play the match Swiatek does not want to play because of the multiple spins and paces she throws.
She needs to do it in straight sets if she wants to win this. Twice Swiatek has gone a set down at the US Open, and twice she has come back to win. She is the best endurance tennis player. She needs to put her foot on the gas from the get-go if she wants to have a chance of winning the match. It will need to be done quickly. The painful Wimbledon final where she sprinted into a 6-3 lead, only to lose in three, would have taught her a thing or two.
She has been candid about how much she wanted to win the title at Wimbledon, and now, having been so close to a major title before, she has a better understanding of what she needs to do. She said after her win that she needs to keep her emotions in check and follow her coach's instructions. The victory will be within her reach if she can do that and continue the serving clinic she put on against her opponent.
Swiatek lost her serve early on and lost the first set. She has lost 16 service games in the past three rounds depending on her return skills to win the match.
She needs to push her up and down the court with her slices, her drop shots and her precise angles. In the second set, if she gets a set up, she should keep the pressure on and not allow Swiatek a chance to break. In the past few rounds, Swiatek has worked her way out of difficult situations, including coming back from a 2-4 break in the third set against Aryna Sabalenka, so it would be important for her to serve well against the world's top ranked player.
Swiatek was in the final. She has had to adjust her forehand to get used to the speed of the court at the US Open. She was able to get herself in the final.
Swiatek has to wait for the chance to hit a groundstroke winner. She has been making more mistakes.
Expect to be surprised. The ability to identify changeups will be important.
Swiatek has had an interesting run. She has had more unforced errors than winners in every single match she has played on the hard court in New York, which is her preferred surface.
Swiatek's mental resolve and ability to make mid match adjustments have been impressive. She doesn't get flustered even when she drops a set and that has given her confidence. She might be able to use her mental strength to her advantage. If she wants to win her third major title Saturday, she will need to rely on her strong returning ability against the powerful serve of the other player.
Thankfully, Swiatek's serve returns have been excellent, and she needs to get hold of the serve early on. She will make Jabeur uncomfortable if she can counter his serve from the beginning.
She won the French Open this year and can draw on that experience. She needs to achieve that perfect balance of trusting her ability but also questioning herself enough to motivate herself to fight harder, even though that experience is valuable.
I think I'm the kind of person who won't trust myself. Swiatek said earlier this week that he didn't cares. I don't think it's a bad thing for me. I find it motivating to try to get better and find new skills to get as close to the trust as possible, even though it's not nice to have doubts.
Swiatek has to start strong. She can't afford to lose service games early on, she's very good at exploiting that. Swiatek has to serve well in the beginning of the game. She needs to come back well.
She broke serve in 35 of the 60 games she has played in New York. She excelled at it. In Rome, she broke her opponent's serve five times to win the match. It won't be easy this time, but she needs to push Jabeur during her service games because she's an amazing returner.
Stevenson thinks that Jabeur will win. She skips off the court. She will upset the rhythm of SwiaTEK if she does this.
SwiaTEK should win. She got a second chance after escaping a trap against Sabalenka.
The one I pick is Jabeur. Swiatek is very uptight in a pressure-packed match. He seems to have learned a lot from the Wimbledon final. Swiatek has won two majors, but she doesn't like the balls and can be negative if things don't go well.
Swiatek will win her second slam this year. It's going to take a monumental effort to topple her because of her ridiculous record in finals. Swiatek's experience will come through and she will win in straight sets. In the past nine years, Swiatek has won nine finals.
The state of Maine has a name. She has been a woman on a mission throughout the fortnight in New York and has been close to the final. She knows how to handle the feelings that come with playing in a Grand Slam final. During their last meeting on the hardcourt, in Cincinnati in 2021, Jabeur beat Swiatek in straight sets and is confident after a statement win overGarcia. This is her title to win and it feels like it.
Kumar said at the start of the tournament that he would stick with it. The Swiatek rivalry is going to keep us entertained for a long time and it's not going to be an easy one for Jabeur. She made it to the back-to-back Grand Slam finals, and if there's anyone who can stop her, it's her. The slice, on-point first serves and efficient way she adjusts to tricky situations will help her get that first major trophy.
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