The Insider Wrap is a recap of everything you need to know from the week that was. This week, WTA Insider looks back at the US Open, where Serena Williams bid farewell and Iga Swiatek continues to build her legacy.
Performance of the Tournament: Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek admitted she came into New York insecure about her game. Seven matches later, she managed her most arduous road to the title by refusing to let perfection be the enemy of progress. She kept her frustration at bay to find winning solutions. And when she needed it most her game was there. Look no further than the forehand she ripped at 5-4 down in the second-set tiebreak against Ons Jabeur that landed plum on the sideline.
More US Open final reaction
- Champions Corner: Why the US Open felt like an uphill battle for Swiatek
- 'An incredible battle': Social media reacts to the US Open final
- US Open champion Swiatek gets a sweet surprise during press conference
- Tennis Warehouse: Check out the gear of US Open champion Swiatek and runner-up Jabeur
- Swiatek outlasts Jabeur to win US Open; third career Slam title
- Jabeur embracing Swiatek rivalry after US Open final loss
We have seen Swiatek win tournaments with her A-game, barely dropping games, let alone sets. We have also seen her win when the conditions are comfortable for her, namely slower surfaces. But with the US Open title, the 10th of her career, we've now seen the 21-year-old win when the deck was stacked against her.
It wasn't always the prettiest title run for Swiatek. But that's precisely what made it scary.
Surprise of the Tournament: Ajla Tomljanovic
The narrative around the 29-year-old's career has never been about a lack of talent. Tomljanovic has all the tools to be a world-beater. But her frailty stemmed from nerves and pressure. With a single match, Tomljanovic changed that narrative.
Tomljanovic's 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1 victory versus Serena Williams in the third round was remarkable. A player who had a history of buckling stood tall and held her nerve as the sold-out crowd on Ashe willed her to fail. In many ways, she was the perfect foil on that emotional night. Close observers knew just how monumental of a performance that was from Tomljanovic. Yet the second match point fell, Tomljanovic held back any celebration, graciously ceding the stage to Williams.
Perhaps even more importantly, Tomljanovic followed up the win with another, snapping Liudmila Samsonova's 13-match win streak to advance to he first US Open quarterfinal.
Honor Roll
Ons Jabeur: She now has made back-to-back Slam finals and a return to World No.2. Jabeur came into Wimbledon on a roll. Leading into the event, she won the title in Berlin. But in New York, Jabeur came in without a notable hard-court result and proceeded to make the US Open final. That has to be a confidence-booster, knowing she can step up even when not playing her best tennis.
Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova: The Czechs completed their career Golden Slam by winning the US Open, cementing the duo as the best doubles team of their generation. And they're only 26 years old. They're just the second team to win the career Golden Slam, joining Venus and Serena Williams, and the only team to complete the career Golden Slam and win the WTA Finals.
Serena Williams: The celebratory energy that took over Arthur Ashe Stadium in Week 1 was electric. It transformed the US Open into something special, something more than just a tennis tournament. After setting the tone with her first-round win over Danka Kovinic, Williams showed just how much fight is still inside her in a three-set win against No.2 seed Anett Kontaveit.
Then came the dénouement. Playing the final game of her career, Williams saved five match points before succumbing. Williams made no secret that leaving the game was a decision she didn't want to make and it showed. At 3 hours and 5 minutes, her final match was the longest she ever played in New York.
Caroline Garcia: The US Open's first round saw two notable early departures. Toronto champion Simona Halep bowed out to Daria Snigur. San Jose and Granby champion Daria Kasatkina lost to Harriet Dart. Liudmila Samsonova, who also won two titles over the summer, lost to Tomljanovic in the fourth round.
So kudos to Garcia for taking the momentum earned in Cincinnati and taking it straight into New York to make her first major semifinal. She was the most dominant player through the first five rounds of the tournament before coming up flat against Jabeur.
Aryna Sabalenka: In a season that has been derailed by her serving woes, you have to admire Sabalenka's ability to plow forward. She's now made back-to-back US Open semifinals and she did it in dramatic fashion this year. Sabalenka was down a set and 5-1 in the second round to Kaia Kanepi and saved match points to win it. In the semifinals, she was up an early break in the third set on Swiatek before the eventual champion reeled her in.
Alexandra Eala: The 17-year-old became the first Filipina junior champion after taking home the US Open girls' title. She did not drop a set all week.
Coco Gauff: The American made her first US Open quarterfinal and handled the spotlight incredibly well. She ran into the Garcia buzzsaw in the quarterfinals, but Gauff finally showed how comfortable she could be on Ashe and the crowd lapped it up. Her run also boosted her into the Top 10 for the first time. She's the youngest American to make a Top 10 debut since Serena Williams.
Jule Niemeier: The German has made back-to-back Slam second weeks, following up her quarterfinal run at Wimbledon with a US Open Round of 16. In New York, she tallied wins over Sofia Kenin, Yulia Putintseva and Zheng Qinwen. And she had Swiatek on the ropes before losing 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.
Jessica Pegula: The top-ranked American made her first US Open quarterfinal and with it, closed out her Slam season by making three quarterfinals this year (also Australian Open and Roland Garros). Who knows what Pegula's season looks like if she doesn't run up against Ashleigh Barty and Iga Swiatek in those three matches.
Notable numbers
3: Slam titles won by 21-year-old Iga Swiatek. She is the youngest three-time major champion since Maria Sharapova, 20, captured her third in 2008.
8: Years since a player won seven titles in a single season on the Hologic WTA Tour. The US Open is Swiatek's seventh of the year. Serena Williams won seven in 2014.
10: Consecutive wins for Iga Swiatek over Top 10 opposition. Her last loss came to then-No.1 Ashleigh Barty in January at Adelaide.
2: Times this season Iga Swiatek has won a title by defeating three Top 10 opponents: Doha and US Open.
9: Players who won three major titles before the age of 22 in the Open Era. Swiatek joins Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, Stefanie Graf and Chris Evert.
6: Consecutive sets Iga Swiatek has won in her first three Slam finals. She is the second woman in the Open Era to accomplish the feat, joining Lindsay Davenport.
20: Consecutive sets Iga Swiatek has won in WTA finals.
4: Chinese women to advance to the third round of the US Open: Zheng Qinwen, Yuan Yue, Wang Xiyu and Zhang Shuai. This marked the first time this has ever happened at any Slam.
10: Consecutive wins for Serena Williams over Top 2 seeds at the US Open. Her last loss came in 2007 to Justine Henin.
4: Women in the Open Era to have won a match in their teens, 20s, 30s and 40s: Martina Navratilova, Kimiko Date, Venus Williams and Serena Williams.
43: Years since an Australian woman made the quarterfinals at both Wimbledon and the US Open in a single season. Ajla Tomljanovic became the first since Evonne Goolagong Cawley did so in 1979.
3: Times Petra Kvitova has won from match point down this season, the most of any player on tour. Kvitova saved match points to defeat Garbiñe Muguruza 5-7, 6-3, 7-6[10] in the third round of the US Open.
Photo of the Tournament
