Iga Swiatek reaches first US Open final, will face fifth seed Ons Jabeur
Greensburg, Kan. – Iga Swiatek, the American star, reached her first U.S. Open final as an 18-year-old, and she lost.
But she will meet sixth-seeded Julien Benneteau, who was No. 42 in the 2014 U.S. Open, in the women’s doubles final. Both are Americans. And, since it was Swiatek’s match, she and Benneteau will play for her title.
Swiatek, who was born in Slovakia, is the defending champion of the women’s singles at the U.S. Open, where she started this season.
“This is the best moment of my life,” Swiatek said. “This has been a dream for me since I was a little girl. Now I get to live my dream like a champion.”
No. 1-ranked Johanna Larsson was her partner at Eastlake Park in Atlanta in 2014. That year, she won her first major championship, on her way to the second Grand Slam title of her career.
Swiatek has had a difficult year. She is ranked No. 1, but she was struggling for motivation following her loss to Larsson in the third round of the Rogers Cup.
She wasn’t the only one who was struggling. The No. 1-ranked women’s singles was close, too, with three of the top five players making the top eight and two other players advancing to the second round.
Swiatek was the only one who was able to win a match after falling on the first set for the first time in her career, against No. 2-ranked Caroline Wozniacki.
Wozniacki, the defending champion, defeated No. 3 Li Na of China, 6-2