Iga Swiatek has the heart of a champion.
The 21-year-old from Poland survived many ups and downs in Friday’s semifinal match to beat Belarusian’s Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 and became the first Polish woman to book a spot into the U.S. Open final.
"Earlier when I was younger, all I did in the bathroom between sets when I lost was cry," Swiatek said. "Now I can actually think about what to change and actually problem solve."
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A confident Sabalenka grabbed the first set, attacking the top-seeded player with her powerful groundstrokes and dominant serve. She finished the set winning 75% of first serve points and getting broken only once.
In the second set, Swiatek stormed out winning the first eight points to create a 2-0 lead. She was teeing off of Sabalenka’s second serve with strong backhands and was running down all of the Belarusian’s big shots, forcing the match to head to a third set.
To kick off the third set, a gritty Sabalenka grabbed a quick 2-0 lead, which was extended to 4-2 but could not keep her foot on the pedal as Swiatek came back to secure the set and match.
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Swiatek will be playing for her third Grand Slam title after winning the French Open earlier this year and in 2020.
Swiatek is set to face Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in the final on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.
