On Saturday, ranked number 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland will come in 5th Ons Jabeur of Tunisia. If Jabeur wins, she will become the first African woman in the Open era to win a Grand Slam singles title. If Swiatek wins, it will be her third major title, after winning two French Open titles, one in 2020 and one earlier this year. So… who will win? We asked our experts:
What can Jabeur do to defeat Swiatek?
Alexandra Stevenson: Jabeur can do whatever she wants. Her slice game – an extraordinary array of tennis acumen she displays with her shots – will determine whether she can win Saturday. Or will Swiatek’s sports game finally knock out Jabeur’s slice and dice? Jabeur won with low service rate. This is a testament to the open door in today’s women’s tennis.
Cliff Drysdale: Jabeur needs to get a very high percentage on her first serve to avoid her second serve being cancelled. She also needs to use her drops and imaginative play so that Swiatek can’t find the rhythm.
Luke Jensen: Jabeur can be a rogue! Jabeur’s signature layered tactical approach to multiple rounds and speeds and signature drops will help her play the match Swiatek doesn’t want to play.
Tom Hamilton: If Jabeur gets this win, she needs to do it in straight innings. Twice Swiatek has failed at this year’s US Open, and twice she has pulled back to win three games. She is a master of endurance tennis. So Jabeur needs to get his foot on the accelerator from the start – aim for Swiatek with her precise serve (she has 34 aces so far, just behind the top 4 in the league) Qinwen Zheng, who scored 38, and also won 73% on her first serve when it landed correctly) and didn’t give her a moment to think or hit back. This will have to be done quickly. Jabeur must have learned from that painful Wimbledon final, where she sped up to a 6-3 lead, only to lose three.
D’Arcy Maine: Jabeur has been outspoken about how much she wants to win the title at Wimbledon, and now, so close to a previous major title, she has a much better understanding of what she needs to do and what to expect. waiting in a Grand Slam final. . After Thursday’s win, she said she needed to control her emotions and follow the game plan the coach laid out for her. If she can do that and continue the absolute service clinic she has resisted Caroline Garcia (she has eight aces and hasn’t hit a single break), a win will be within her reach.
Aishwarya Kumar: Swiatek had a slow start throughout this tournament, she lost serve early (and lost the first two sets). She has lost 16 matches in the past three rounds, it is up to her returning skill to win the matches.
Jabeur should take advantage of her shaky start, propelling her up and down the court with her cuts, drops and precise turns. Then, once she’s established a set, Jabeur should maintain pressure early in the second set, getting free points on her first serve (she took down 34 aces in the second set). this tournament) and did not allow Swiatek a chance to break serve. Swiatek has managed to get out of really tough situations over the past few rounds, including coming back from a 2-4 defeat in the third set last. Aryna Sabalenkaso it’s important for Jabeur to serve well against the number 1 player in the world.
What can Swiatek do to defeat Jabeur?
Stevenson: Swiatek fought hard to make it to the finals. She may be No. 1 – but at the US Open here, she had to adjust her forehand to get used to the speed of the court with her long grip and the often lighter balls for her. for girl. She fought well and found moments to get herself in the final.
Drysdale: Swiatek need to wait for the opportunity to reach the winners. She made more mistakes than usual by rushing.
Jensen: Ready for something unexpected. The ability to focus the laser to pinpoint the various changes Jabeur will throw at her will be key.
Maine: It was an exciting run for Swiatek. Unlike on clay, her favorite and most dominant surface, there have been moments of struggle on the harsh New York road, and she has made more unwarranted errors than most. won every match she played.
But, despite this, what is particularly impressive about Swiatek is her mental determination and ability to adjust mid-game. She wasn’t too flustered, even when she missed a set, and that helped her gain confidence throughout the tournament. This mental strength could eventually become her greatest asset ahead of Jabeur’s variety game. She will need to keep looking for answers, and will need to rely on her strong comeback against Jabeur’s powerful serve, if she is to claim her third major title on Wednesday. Seven.
Hamilton: Thankfully, Swiatek’s serves are excellent, and she needs to catch Jabeur’s serves early. If she can counter Jabeur’s serve in the first place and keep her ball, she will upset Jabeur.
She can also learn from winning two Grand Slam titles, including this year’s French Open. The experience in an environment like this is invaluable, but she also needs to strike the perfect balance of believing in her own abilities but also questioning herself enough to push herself to fight a lot. than.
“Maybe I’m the kind of person who never believes in myself. I don’t care,” Swiatek said earlier this week. “It’s not something that’s negative for me. Sure, doubting is a bad thing, but I also find it motivating to really, you know, try to get better and try to be better. looking for new skills to get as close to trust as possible.”
Kumar: Swiatek needs a strong start. She can’t afford to lose early service games – Jabeur is good at taking advantage of that kind of sloppy play. Swiatek needs to serve well from the start. Then she needs to do what she does best: come back good.
Swiatek broke serve in 35 of the 60 games she played in New York, an average of 58%. That’s what she excels at. In their last meeting, in Rome, she broke Jabeur’s serve five times to win straight sets (6-2 6-2). Jabeur has since improved her service game, so it won’t be as easy as this time, but she’s an incredible comeback, so she really needs to push Jabeur in the games its services.
Who do you think will win?
Stevenson: For me, Jabeur wins. Her low strike missed the court with lightning speed. If she does this, she will upset the rhythm of Swiatek.
Drysdale: Swiatek should win. Her confidence levels are growing, and she has escaped a trap against Sabalenka, giving her a second chance.
Jensen: Jabeur is my pick. Swiatek plays very discreetly, especially in a pressurized match like a grand final. Jabeur seems to have learned a lot from the Wimbledon final about how to handle the big moment. I know Swiatek has won two majors, but she doesn’t like balls and can turn negative if things don’t go well.
Hamilton: I think Swiatek will pass to win a second Slam this year. Her record in the finals is ridiculous, and if she can get to the level she reached to win 37 straight games earlier in the year, it will take a massive effort to overthrow her. Jabeur clearly has that to win on Saturday, but I think Swiatek’s experience will be drawn on and she’ll win in consecutive sets. Swiatek also did not lose in the finals – winning the previous 9.
Maine: Jabeur. She was a woman on a mission during two weeks in New York and was almost clinically on her way to the final. Having played in a Grand Slam final, she knows what emotions she will feel, and more importantly, how to handle those emotions. Jabeur beat Swiatek in consecutive sets in their last meeting on hard courts, in Cincinnati in 2021, and was brimming with confidence following a claim victory over Garcia. It feels like momentum is on Jabeur’s side and this is the title she won.
Kumar: I said this at the start of the tournament, and I’ll stick with it for now: Ons Jabeur. Jabeur vs. Swiatek will keep us entertained for years to come, so it won’t be an easy match for Jabeur (their head-to-head record is 2-2). But, she’s on a hot streak right now, reaching consecutive Grand Slam finals, and if anyone can stop Swiatek, it’s Jabeur. Her cut, first serve and how she adapts effectively in difficult situations (coming back from a defeat against the American player) Shelby Rogers) will get her that first big trophy on Sunday.
