US Open 2022 women's final: Iga Świątek battles past Ons Jabeur for second Grand Slam win of the season

Świątek captured two of the four Grand Slam championships in 2022

Iga Świątek has reached yet another peak in her transcendent 2022 season. The 21-year-old defeated Ons Jabeur in Saturday's US Open women's final, becoming the first Polish woman to win the tournament. Świątek, the 2022 French Open champion, also became the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win two majors in the same year.

This was the first US Open women's final featuring two top-10 players since 2013, as Świątek came in as the world No. 1 while Jabeur ranked fifth. The gap, though, looked much wider once play began. Świątek looked a step quicker than Jabeur early in the match, squashing her opponent's momentum right as it was beginning multiple times. Jabeur clawed back to win six games in the second set, but it ultimately wasn't enough as Świątek won the tiebreak for a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) victory. 

After the match, Świątek took a moment to reflect on what her win means for Poland. 

"Especially right now we have to stay united and support ourselves and stay together," Świątek said. "I'm pretty happy that I can kind of unite people with our sport. I'm proud that tennis is getting more and more popular at home."

Świątek's US Open win is only her latest accomplishment in a season jam-packed with them. Earlier this year, she registered a 37-match winning streak, the longest in the WTA this century. Świątek has also won all seven of the finals she's reached this year. With her US Open victory, Świątek has now cleared 10,000 WTA rankings points this year, the most since Serena Williams in 2013.

The loss was bittersweet for Jabeur, as the 28-year-old Tunisian still became the first Arab and African woman to reach a US Open final -- this coming two months after she became the first Arab and African woman to make any Grand Slam final at Wimbledon. Jabeur will also be ranked No. 2 in the next WTA rankings by virtue of her US Open run.

"She deserved to win today. I don't like her very much right now, but it's OK," Jabeur jokingly said of Świątek after the match. "Just an amazing two weeks, to be honest with you. Backing up my final in Wimbledon. I know we're going to keep working hard and we'll get better sometime soon." 

Though Świątek came out on top Saturday, the magnitude of Jabeur's accomplishments wasn't lost on her. Świątek called Jabeur "an inspiration" after the match, adding they're both "trying to do our best to be good people and be good examples." 

Świątek's win bolstered her bank account along with her tennis resume. She accepted a $2.6 million check for winning the US Open after the match, then she hilariously quipped "I'm really glad this is not in cash." 

Though Świątek looked unstoppable at points Saturday, that wasn't exactly the case in the semis. She dropped the first set against Aryna Sabalenka before winning 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 earlier in the tournament. Jabeur, meanwhile, claimed a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Caroline Garcia in only 66 minutes to reach the final. 

Sunday, the 2022 US Open will conclude with the men's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud. Click here for everything you need to know about the 2022 US Open, including scores, schedules and how to watch