Iga Swiatek of Poland won the women's singles title at the U.S. Open. In this photo provided by Mary Altaffer, a person is standing.
Before the U.S. Open final began, Ons Jabeur knew she was in trouble.
"Iga never loses finals, so it's going to be very difficult," he had said.
Swiatek had won two of the last three French Open titles and was trying to win her first major title on a hard court.
She won eight of the first nine points against her opponent and went on to win the match. 1 seed to reach the women's final since Serena Williams in 2014) is now an amazing 10-1 in finals, having won all 10 without dropping a set. She will be the best woman in the world at the end of the year, having won two of the four major tournaments. She has 57 match wins this year, which is the most on the tour.
Swiatek said that the tournament was difficult. It's crazy in New York. There are a lot of temptations in the city. I have met a lot of people who inspire me. I'm proud that I could handle it.
Swiatek will take home more than $2 million with the trophy, while Jabeur will take home less than $1 million. It was her second loss in a major final, the first being the Wimbledon final. She will move to the second spot in the world on Monday, but Swiatek still has more points.
The women's singles final of the U.S. Open will take place in New York. In this photo provided by Mary Altaffer, a person is standing.
Swiatek proved that she is more than just a clay court specialist when she won her third major title.
Chrissie Evert said that she was a champion on hard courts as well.
She was the number one player in the world.
Swiatek won eight of the first nine points in the first set and went on to win it. Swiatek aggressively attacked with a forehand winner up the line after Jabeur had given it back. The game point was when she took a 5-2 lead. A backhand into the net ended a rally in the first set.
Swiatek consistently hit her ground strokes deep in the court, making it hard for Jabeur to play her trademark game of changing pace.
Evert said that Ons hasn't been able to play her favorite game.
She asked her coach what to do after the first set and he told her to move on.
Serena Williams is playing in the third round of the US Open. It could have been just one night, but Williams' decision to quit tennis turned into a boon for the network. The 3.8 million who watched the 2012 Wimbledon men's final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray was the largest audience of any tennis match in the last 43 years. This file photo was taken by Charles Krupa.
Things remained the same. Swiatek got another break when he won with a two-handed backhand.
Fans screaming out during points unnerved both players during the second set of the match. The fans yelled out on several points when they had a chance to break the 4-4 tie.
Swiatek took the lead with a 101 mph service winner.
She sailed a forehand long to bring Swiatek to match point. She took it to a tiebreak.
Swiatek won the tiebreak when Jabeur sailed a forehand into the net.
Iga didn't make it easy for me. I don't like her very much but I know I'll get that title soon.
Swiatek was able to fly under the radar as the world's top ranked player because of all of the attention on Serena.
She said that she was thinking about that when she watched Serena. It's difficult for me to say, because I've never been in a situation like this.
It's hard for me to compare, but it may have taken a bit of pressure off me. Not playing well before taking some pressure off.
Swiatek said that her sports psychologist helped her mentally.
She said that the work they had done with Daria helped. It's easier for me to logically think about what I can do. I feel like I have more skills to do that.
I think that's the most important thing on the highest level and that's why it changed.
The women's singles final of the U.S. Open will take place in New York. The photo was taken by Frank Franklin.
Even though she has come up short twice, she has established herself as the first Arab and first African woman to reach a major final.
There was a large contingent of fans wearing shirts and hats from Tunisia, and they gave her a loud applause when she introduced herself.
Much as African-American players like Venus and Serena Williams inspired younger players of color to play tennis in the U.S., Jabeur hopes to have the same effect in Tunisia and beyond.
"This is just the beginning of so many things and I hope I can inspire more and more."
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