World No. 1 Iga Swiatek wins her third major title at the US Open
Swiatek will play her first full season of tennis after going pro in 2011
Swiatek also won the 2015 Sony Ericsson Open and was the 2016 U.S. Open doubles champion with partner Laura Poon
Swiatek becomes the first tennis player from the United States to clinch a maiden Grand Slam title since Martina Hingis at Wimbledon in 1985
Iga Swiatek is no stranger to major titles, with one as her sole major title in the past. But for the 23-year-old, this one will be her third major at the US Open after she beat No. 14 seed Ashleigh Barty 6-3, 6-3 in the third round on Friday.
That means five of her career victories have come at the largest stage for a woman in tennis, and will help her earn a reputation as one of the top young talents in women’s tennis.
Swiatek lost to No. 4 seed Madison Keys in the second round at the 2015 U.S. Open, in that first season after going pro, and then took only her second career Grand Slam victory at the 2016 U.S. Open with her partnering Laura Poon.
“Yeah I think it was a huge confidence booster,” Swiatek said after her U.S. Open victory. “I mean, I think I’ve had this goal in my eyes after every tournament and I think this was the biggest one so far. It was a really good win also, I mean the energy and the crowd support was unbelievable. The matches against Madison Keys, I mean I never imagined I would have to really try so hard and everything just came so easy. I felt like the match wasn’t at the level I’d ever dreamt that I could be at.”
She’s only had a couple of Grand Slam main draw losses, in the first round at the French Open in 2011 to then No. 1 Serena Williams and in the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open in 2014 to then No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki.
She lost in the third round in