US Open – Iga Swiatek battles past Ons Jabeur to clinch third Grand Slam title in style at Flushing Meadows

Iga Swiatek clinched her third Grand Slam title and first at the US Open after she battled past Ons Jabeur in the final, 6-2 7-6(5), at Flushing Meadows.

The 21-year-old, who already has two triumphs at Roland-Garros to her name, took her remarkable season to yet another level with another hugely impressive major win on the biggest stage.

Swiatek, who rose to the world No. 1 ranking earlier in the year and won her second French Open title, again demonstrated why she is very much the dominant force in women’s tennis.

The Pole got off to a stunning start in the opening set as she roared into a three-game lead with an early break and, despite Jabeur briefly pegging her back, restored her advantage at 4-2 up.

A packed crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium was treated to Swiatek’s unique brand of clinical and creative tennis as she pulled away from Jabeur swiftly and decisively to take the opening set.

The hugely popular Jabeur was simply unable to get any momentum from the back of the court as she attempted almost everything in vain with Swiatek always having the answers.

The second set followed a similar pattern initially as the dominant Swiatek leapt into a commanding lead again early on with a break of serve. She was so ruthless the crowd implored Jabeur to find a way back into the match, to little immediate effect.

The relentless Swiatek pounced on every serve from her opponent in such an effective fashion it left the Tunisian, who had been hoping to become the first woman from Africa to secure a major singles title, exasperated as she gesticulated to her box in frustration.

It took Jabeur until the fourth game of the second set to belatedly get on the board, and she followed that up with an encouraging break of serve. Indeed, she continued to stage a strong resistance as she piled pressure on her opponent in what proved to be a much more entertaining second set.

Swiatek did incredibly well to hold on at times towards the business end of the second set as Jabeur threw everything she could at finding a way through and eventually forced a deserved tie-break to settle it.

The resulting tie-break was as tense and unpredictable as the remainder of the set as both players gave absolutely everything in thrilling rallies, but Swiatek emerged victorious to close out the match in hugely impressive fashion and become the first Polish woman to win the US Open.

It has been a glorious year for the star from Warsaw, with two Grand Slam titles and the top ranking secured as she again proved she is the player everyone else must somehow strive to beat – and not only on clay courts.