- Polish world No 1 and Wimbledon runner-up meet for title
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The 21-year-old Swiatek is the first No 1 seed to reach the US Open women’s final since Serena Williams in 2014. She’s also the first woman to reach the Roland Garros and US Open finals in the same season since Serena one year earlier. This is her third grand slam final, having previously lifted the French Open titles in 2020 and 2022.
Jabeur is the first woman to reach the final at both Wimbledon and the US Open in the same season since Serena in 2019. The 28-year-old Tunisian win is one of four African woman in history to reach a major final and first in the Open era. The other three were South Africans Irene Peacock (1927 Roland Garros), Renee Schuurman (1959 Australian Open) and Sandra Reynolds (1960 Wimbledon), each of whom came up short in the final.
They play different styles, but a common quality is that they have built varied, sustainable games that afford them a number of different options, making them far more adaptable and reliable than their opponents. This was clear on Thursday as Swiatek and Jabeur faced Aryna Sabalenka and Caroline Garcia in their respective semi-finals, both challengers resting their success on all-out attack. When nerves struck, at the very beginning for Garcia and while Sabalenka led 4-2 in the third set, neither could adapt.
Swiatek is one of the best athletes in the world and possesses some of the most destructive weaponry off the ground and she is increasingly finding that balance again. Jabeur, meanwhile, is blessed with a complete game and a vast array of shots. She can smother opponents with her serve and forehand, she can slice them to death, pepper them with drop shots and she has also massively improved her physicality.
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