The first African US Open finalist

While the Tunisian Wimbledon finalist Jabeur was able to save energy in her surprisingly clear semi-final victory against the French Caroline Garcia in just 66 minutes, the world number one Swiatek then had to fight hard for her title dream.

In the end, the Pole won 3:6, 6:1, 6:4 against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka and reached a Grand Slam final for the third time. There she will face Jabeur on Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Jabeur vs. Swiatek “It’s always tough against them. I'm sure it will be a very physical game. She has good strokes and is very solid from the baseline,” said Swiatek after her 56th win this year: “I have to be careful.”

The two-time French Open winner got off to a weak start against Sabalenka - the toilet break after losing the first set was the saving grace. “I remember when I used to cry in the toilet when I was losing. This time I thought about what I could change,” revealed the 21-year-old.

Will Iga Swiatek win her next Grand Slam title? © APA/afp / COREY SIPKIN

Two and a half hours earlier, Jabeur had booked her ticket to the final; the 6-year-old was hardly challenged in the 1-6, 3-28 win against Garcia. Now, like two months ago in Wimbledon, she is playing in the final for her first Grand Slam title. She lost the final in London against Jelena Rybakina.

“It feels incredibly good. There was a lot of pressure on me after Wimbledon, I'm very relieved," said Jabeur on court. At the subsequent press conference, the fifth-placed woman in the world rankings revealed that she was able to enjoy reaching the final much more. “It feels more real,” Jabeur said, “at Wimbledon I was kind of living a dream and I couldn’t believe it.”

Jabeur is the first African player to reach the final of the US Open in the professional era. For the disappointing Garcia, a 13-game winning streak ended in the biggest game of her career to date. Before the first serve, a minute's silence was held at Arthur Ashe Stadium in honor of the late British Queen Elizabeth II.

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The first African US Open finalist

The tennis players Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur reached the final at the US Open in New York on Friday night in very different ways.

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