New York: Ons Jabeur asserted following her loss to world No.1 Iga Swiatek in the US Open women’s singles final that she is not going to give up on her dream of winning a Grand Slam, adding she had learnt a lot from the defeat and will return a more complete player next year.
Despite a valiant effort, Tunisia’s Jabeur lost 6-2, 7-6(5) to Poland’s Swiatek in the season-ending major. This was 21-year-old Swiatek’s third Grand Slam, and her first US Open crown.
“Yeah, definitely I’m not someone that’s going to give up. I am sure I’m going to be in the final again. I will try my best to win it,” said Jabeur, who will rise to world No.2 when the latest WTA Rankings are released on Monday.
“I struggled to win my first WTA title. It took me time. So I believe this will take me time (as well). The most important thing is accepting it, learning from the finals that I lost,” Jabeur, 28, was quoted as saying by WTA.
Playing in her second consecutive major final after Wimbledon, the Tunisian has already won two titles this season and only Swiatek (seven finals) has played more finals than Jabeur (6) this season.
“To be honest with you, I have nothing to regret because I did everything possible,” she said. “I wish I served a little bit better today. It would have helped me a lot. You know Iga, how she plays in finals. It’s very tough to beat her. I will keep positive and work on the things that were missing today.”
Jabeur had skipped the Australian Open, lost in the opening round of the French Open, and was not awarded points at Wimbledon but still she has managed to reach the No.2 position.
“She (Swiatek) improved a lot I think her forehand and her serve. She’s always been solid in the backhand. That’s kind of tough. Physically she’s everywhere. She can bring any ball. It’s always tough to play someone that puts one more shot in.
“It will always be great to compete against Iga. I was joking when I said I don’t like her. I’ll forgive her when she gives me a Rolex or something,” Jabeur joked.
Jabeur is now 2-3 against Swiatek, with the Polish player stopping her in two big finals this season — Rome and now the Flushing Meadows.
“I think in general (she’s) just playing better at the right moment, at the important points,” Jabeur said. “She knows exactly what to do. I feel like she improved a lot from last year until the beginning of this year again.
“She’s working on a lot of things that get in her way. She’s really set the bar very high. It’s great for our sport. Just will keep doing my thing and hopefully will catch her.”
–IANS