US Open 2022: Iga Swiatek beats Ons Jabeur to clinch maiden women's singles title

World number one Iga Swiatek scripted history when she beat Tunisia's Ons Jabeur 6-2 7-6(5) in the US.Open final on Saturday (September 10) to clinch her maiden trophy at Flushing Meadows and third Grand Slam crown. Poland's Swiatek fell on her back and covered her face with her hands after prevailing in the tight second set tiebreak, having sealed the win when the fifth seed's shot sailed long.

"I really needed to stay composed and stay focused on the goals," Swiatek said during the on-court trophy ceremony.

"It's New York, it's so loud, it's so crazy. I'm so proud I could handle it mentally."

A message from the champion, @iga_swiatek _ pic.twitter.com/kTQQwFTHpR— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2022

It was twice French Open champion Swiatek's first major title on a hard court and the 21-year-old is the first Polish woman to win the U.S. Open.

Despite the defeat, Jabeur will regain her world number two ranking when the tournament concludes on Sunday.

Jabeur made history at Wimbledon when she became the first Arab woman to reach a major final. She added another line in the history books in New York, becoming the first African woman to reach the U.S. Open championship match.

"Hopefully I can inspire more and more generations," she said. "This is just the beginning of so many things."

Swiatek came out firing on Saturday, pushing Jabeur to the back of the court with her precise serve and deep groundstrokes to race to a 3-0 lead.

The top two players in the world come Monday. pic.twitter.com/AMNIX1udbB— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2022

Jabeur found the range with her forehand to win back-to-back games for 3-2 but the momentum was short-lived as Swiatek broke back and took the 30-minute first set when the Tunisian's backhand landed in the net.

With inputs from Reuters