World No. 1 Iga Swiatek wins her third major title at the US Open
In a match that turned out to be a tale of two halves, Iga was able to pull away from Maria Sharapova in the last 20 minutes to win the US Open title.
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Iga Swiatek wins her third major title at the US Open
Independent.co.uk
Iga Swiatek (R) celebrates with the trophy after winning the US Open title, as Maria Sharapova, left, looks on during the women’s final match between Iga Swiatek and Maria Sharapova in the US Open, on Monday (30 July) in New York. Picture: Richard Drew/AP
Maria Sharapova had an early lead but was hampered by a bout of dehydration for much of the first set and was unable to force an error, although she found some momentum in the second and third sets when Iga fought back.
In the fourth set, Sharapova made a comeback but Iga was up to the task by keeping her composure in the final set.
Iga’s only chance of winning the match came after a third set tie-break.
The 29-year-old Estonian found herself in the final after the US Open decided to play a best-of-three format for the entire tournament, with Iga in her first major title after 15 straight Grand Slam titles and 12 major singles titles.
Sharapova, who ended her own career at the US Open last year by losing in the third round to Petra Kvitova, looked to be in control in the first set, but Iga fought back in the second and third set by breaking back Sharapova’s serve twice to trail 6-4 in the fourth.
By the end of the fourth set, Sharapova was down 3-0 in sets and 4-1 in matches. Sharapova held serve and a break point in the fifth set, before a serve was broken by Iga at a crucial point, giving it to the Slovak.
Iga then broke in the sixth game to take the set for a 3-1 lead as the final bell sounded to end the match.
Sharap
