2022 US Open women’s final Iga Swiatek vs. Ons Jabeur: preview, what time, TV and how to watch online
The US Open women’s singles final pits Iga Swiatek against Ons Jabeur, with both players having beaten each other twice over their careers.
World number one Iga Swiatek and fifth seed Ons Jabeur came through their semifinals in New York on Thursday to reach the US Open final. The top seed, who is looking to add a third Grand Slam to her laurels at the age of 21, was taken to three sets by Aryna Sabalenka while the Tunisian world number five, who reached the final at Wimbledon earlier this summer for a first major final appearance, made surprisingly light work of Caroline Garcia, who hadn’t dropped a set in New York, winning 6-1, 6-3 in a little over an hour.
All square in Swiatek-Jabeur head-to-head
On paper, it should be an evenly matched final. The players have met four times in their careers and each holds a 2-2 record, with one victory each on hard courts, Swiatek in Washington in 2019 and Jabeur at Cincinnati in 2021. They have only played each other once at a Grand Slam, Jabeur beating the Pole in three at Wimbledon last year. The Tunisian was ranked at number two as recently as June and has a style of play that throws opponents off guard, employing what she describes as “crazy shots” and a variety of power and slice. Swiatek is also one of the finest exponents of a drop shot on the WTA tour and hits winners off both flanks. Jabeur will also have learned from her defeat against Elena Rybakina in the Wimbledon final this year, where she led by a set before unravelling in the face of a sustained baseline assault by the Kazakh. Against Swiatek, Jabeur may elect to play the percentages more to cut down the unforced error count, which was her undoing in SW19.
The world number one goes into the match with the advantage of having won two Grand Slams – something that cannot be overstated when it comes to managing nerves on court. Andy Murray lost four major finals before breaking his duck in New York in 2012 and Goran Ivanisevic needed four attempts at Wimbledon to land one win, on a famous Monday in London backed by a hugely partisan crowd, “Emergency Goran” coming through 9-7 in the fifth against Pat Rafter.
Swiatek has spent almost two hours more on court that Jabeur in New York but has proven this year that overwork doesn’t trouble her too much, embarking on a 37-match winning streak in the first half of the season and losing only seven matches all year. Five of those have come on hard courts, a surface Jabeur has not enjoyed this year, winning just eight of her 16 matches to date. However, the number five may have peaked at the perfect time and was ruthless in dispatching Garcia, the Cincinnati champion, in the semis. Swiatek is slightly more vulnerable away from the clay, dropping the opening set twice in New York before storming back to beat Jule Niemeier for the loss of four further games while affording Sabalenka just five over the two final sets.
US Open 2022: women’s singles final match time
Date: Saturday, Sept. 10
Final: Iga Swiatek (1) vs Ons Jabeur (5)
Time: 4pm ET
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
US Open 2022: how to watch the women’s final
The women’s final will be aired on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN+ and Tennis Channel. The match will also be streamed on ESPN+, the ESPN App and fuboTV.
TV: ESPN, Tennis Channel
Live stream: ESPN+, ESPN App, fuboTV