Iga Swiatek's US Open victory cements her status as the dominant force in women's tennis

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Iga Swiatek covered her eyes with her hands as she dropped to the ground. There were Polish flags around the stadium.

Swiatek had just won the US Open, her third career major title and second of the year, and in that moment proved she is now the long-awaited dominating force in women's tennis.

She was surprised when she received her trophy after the match, and not just because of the check.

She said she was glad it wasn't in cash.

There were still questions about her hard court game after she proved she was the best on clay.

"I'm not expecting a lot, especially before this tournament, it was a challenging time," Swiatek said on the court, while wearing a new Asics jacket with "1GA" and three stars to represent each major win It's difficult to come back from a Grand Slam, even if it's the second one.

It's difficult. New York is insane. There are so many temptations in the city and I'm proud of how I've dealt with them.

While Serena Williams' impending retirement dominated the headlines during the first week of the tournament, Swiatek proved that she was the heir apparent to Williams' former role as the tour's superstar. Naomi Osaka, who has won four hard-court major titles, and Ashleigh Barty, who won a Grand Slam on every surface, are two others who have achieved steady success. Wherever she plays, she's a contender.

It was Swiatek's seventh title of the season and she became the first woman to win multiple majors in the same year since Kerber. Since April, Swiatek has held the top spot, and she has doubled the points of her opponent.

After fighting back to force a second-set tiebreak, the devastated Jabeur conceded the US Open title to Swiatek.

Iga didn't make it easy for me. She was the deserving winner today. I don't like her at the moment, but it's okay.

Over the past two years, the Polish star has risen. She left a great city.

Swiatek was candid about her desire to be more consistent following the breakthrough victory. The 21-year-old is the youngest three-time Grand Slam winner.

She had a 37 match win streak and only lost one set during her title run at the French capital. She lost to Coco Gauff in the final.

Swiatek showed throughout the summer that she wasn't as comfortable on the hard court as she was on clay, and publicly expressed her displeasure about the balls used during the US Open swing, but she found ways to win when it counted most. She needed three sets in both of her matches in order to get to the final. She said those challenges made her more confident.

Swiatek said that it gave him a bit of trust that he could handle any situation. Next time, you know what skill to choose and what solution to have, you might be a little bit more confident. It's the best experience you can get.

She was confident Saturday. She was far from flawless, recording more unforced errors than winners, as she had done for every match of the tournament, but still found a way to win.

Swiatek is one of the tour's more outspoken leaders, like Williams was for so long. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of the country, she has worn a Ukrainian flag ribbon on her hat and organized several exhibitions to raise money for humanitarian aid and awareness. Having a cause has given Swiatek something more to play for than just herself.

She brought her trophy to the set for a live interview moments after she won. A sea of red and white chanted her name and cheered her on as she spoke. Swiatek said during the interview that her rise in the sport began during the Pandemic, with few fans in attendance. She was at ease with the large crowd and the spotlight.

Swiatek interrupted and shared where she sees her current spot in the sport after Chris McKendry mentioned that she had never seen a crowd quite like the one gathered.

For Serena.