Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur make year-long dominance tell at US Open

The two best players in the world will face off in the final of the last grand slam tournament of the year. It is not a situation that has occurred much in the past few years of women’s tennis, but it is the defining narrative of the US Open final as Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur stare each other down on Saturday.

With just a few notable exceptions – Ashleigh Barty for a year and Naomi Osaka on hard courts for a short period – in recent years women’s tennis has been characterised by its openness. Seemingly anyone has been able to win on any given day, few players able to maintain their form for long. The last major final of the year, however, pits the No 1 and the No 2 in the WTA race against each other in what could well be a new rivalry in the sport.

Swiatek has already won six titles, including the French Open, in a historic breakthrough year. This will be her seventh final. The 21-year-old has also reached at least the semi-finals of three grand slam tournaments this year. She now has over 9,600 points and that total would cross 10,000 with her third slam title, something only Serena Williams has achieved since 2013.

For a while it seemed Swiatek was not quite in position to establish another big run in New York. After her 37-match winning streak came to an end at Wimbledon her doubts returned. She even lost early at a small event at home in Warsaw on her favourite surface, clay.

As she transitioned to hard courts, Swiatek was still not feeling her game. She lost in her second match both in Toronto and Cincinnati. She criticised the balls used for women’s games at the US Open. She explained that many of the feelings haven’t abated – she does not yet fully trust herself on hard courts, while the balls are still not to