US Open tennis - Ons Jabeur cruises past Caroline Garcia to reach second Grand Slam final of the year
:focal(178x132:180x130)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2023/04/03/3673848-74785904-310-310.jpg)
Updated 09/09/2022 at 06:20 GMT
Fifth seed Ons Jabeur reached her second Grand Slam singles final of the year as she cruised past Caroline Garcia in straight sets with a comprehensive victory in their last-four clash at the US Open. Jabeur, who also reached the Wimbledon showpiece in the summer, was utterly dominant from the outset in what proved to be a very one-sided semi-final on Arthur Ashe.
Highlights: Ruud defeats Berrettini, Jabeur storms into semi-finals
Ons Jabeur produced a masterclass to outplay Caroline Garcia and win in straight sets, 6-1 6-3, to reach the final of the US Open.
Jabeur did not take long to storm into a commanding lead as she took the opening set in just 23 minutes.
There was a stark contrast in the pair's serving as Wimbledon runner-up Jabeur won 90 per cent of points on her first serve compared to Garcia's 47 per cent, while the French player also committed 14 unforced errors in the opening set alone.
The fifth seed was utterly relentless in taking the first set, and Garcia continued to struggle at the start of the second. Jabeur, meanwhile, was both precise and ruthless.
The fired-up Tunisian capitalised in impressive fashion as Garcia floundered on serve again at 2-1 in the second set, and the crucial break arrived in style.
Jabeur could hardly have been more dominant on serve, and Garcia was not able to get into points at all through entire games.
Garcia produced a fleeting resistance at 3-1 down on the Jabeur serve, setting up a break point, but the 17th seed could not take advantage when it mattered.
The expectant crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium implored Garcia to produce a fightback when she was still down a break, but despite her best efforts, it never came.
When presented with the opportunity to serve out to reach her second Grand Slam final, Jabeur did so with aplomb to complete a fabulous performance on the biggest stage.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2022/09/09/3449919-70383548-2560-1440.jpg)
Ons Jabeur of Tunisia hugs Caroline Garcia of France after her win during their Women’s Singles Semifinal match on Day Eleven of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Image credit: Getty Images
The 28-year-old took just an hour and six minutes to close out the comprehensive victory and was composed and poised throughout in reaching another major final.
“It feels amazing,” Jabeur said in her on-court interview after the match. “After Wimbledon there was a lot pressure on me.
“I’m really relieved that I can back up my results. The hard-court season started a little bit bad but now I’m very happy that I made the finals here.”
She will now prepare to take on world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who overcame sixth seed Aryna Sabalenka in the second semi-final, 3-6 6-1 6-4, as she looks to go one better and secure her maiden Grand Slam title.
"In the final it’s not about tennis, you just have to play and win the final," Jabeur said, looking ahead to the match. "I’m very glad I have an amazing team behind me.”
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/geo/country/flag/large/2202.png)
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/geo/country/flag/large/2246.png)