(Tennis news) Current World Number 1 Iga Swiatek defeated Aryna Sabalenka 3-6 6-1 6-4 to reach the US Open final where the Polish player will face Ons Jabeur. The 21 year old started the match poorly, conceding the first set by losing 3-6 but then came back in the second, overcoming an early break in the decider and winning the final four games against Sabalenka. The result meant that Swiatek became the first Polish player to reach the US Open final and will face her opponent Jabeur, who became the first North African woman to do the same.

Sabalenka had the better start, finding her rhythm and hitting big shots against Swiatek, who has previously struggled against big hitters. The Belarusian consolidated a break with an ace for 4-2 and secured the first set by sending a volley past a charging Swiatek. The Polish player raised her performance in the second set by improving her serve and broke Sabalenka thrice to level the match. Sabalenka fought back in the third set by taking a 2-0 lead but Swiatek refused to give up, fighting back to level 4-4 and went on to reach the final after Sabalenka’s shot hit the net. 

Speaking about her match against Jabeur, Swiatek said “It's always tough and I'm pretty sure it's going to be physical. She has such good hands, she is solid on the baseline and when she's going in so I have to be careful. I don't know what's going to happen. Right now, I'm just going to enjoy being in the final." After defeating Caroline Garcia, Ons Jabeur said “(My coach) told me to really play her backhand because she was very dominant with her forehand. Tactically, I think I played really well. Great game for me. I know she was very confident so I had to really impose my game from the beginning, and it was working very well until the end of the match." 

Also read: Caroline Garcia defeats Coco Gauff to reach US Open semi-final