Author: Admin

The Pole's dedication to all elements of her craft saw her through to the title at the 2022 US Open.
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday, September 10, 2022

Flushing Meadows, NY—Iga Swiatek was struggling mightily on the hard courts this summer, not quite feeling the ball on the hard courts, and in need of confidence and belief to face the biggest challenges that lurked at the US Open.

So what did she do? She took her time.

“For sure I needed more time,” after claiming her third Grand Slam title on Saturday in New York “That's why Toronto and Cincinnati didn't work probably.”

OMG🤩🗽@usopen pic.twitter.com/3JuX2rRNVO

— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) September 10, 2022

Since leaving for the US Open, after going 2-2 at Toronto and Cincinnati, losing in the round of 16 both times, Swiatek has dedicated herself to making technical changes to her game so she can thrive–or at least survive–on the faster playing surfaces and with the faster playing ball in New York.

A better way to say it? She survived to thrive.

The Pole rallied from a set down twice in week two, against Jule Niemeier and Aryna Sabalenka, and showed up on Sunday in the final to do what she does best: dominate.

Swiatek was in stellar form on Sunday against fifth-seeded Jabeur, as she earned the 6-2, 7-6(5) victory to stretch her winning streak in finals and against the Top-10 to ten matches.

Swiatek says she finally felt free on Saturday, because all the hard work she had done during the fortnight allowed her to stop thinking about the technical elements of her tennis and just let it fly.

“I didn't need to think about this technical stuff at the end because I did it for already four weeks, so it kind of got a little bit more natural and I used more intuition,” she said. “That was the thing that actually let me be more free.”

The 24-year-old wants his breakthrough to be the beginning of something bigger. By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday, September 10, 2022

Flushing Meadows, NY—Frances Tiafoe was edged by Carlos Alcaraz in five thrilling sets in men’s semifinal action in Flushing Meadows on Friday, but the 24-year-old American is upbeat about his future despite the loss.

“I just proved that honestly, I can play with the best obviously, and I'm capable of winning Grand Slams,” Tiafoe said. “I think everyone knew when I play my best what I could do. But you know how close I can actually be to be one of those guys and to do this consistently.”

Tiafoe has had a reputation for concentration lapses in the past, but in New York this week he showed that he can dial it in and play complete matches from start to finish.

It was one of the things that pleased him the most about his run to the semifinals.

"I'm gonna come back and I will win this thing one day. I'm sorry guys." – Frances Tiafoe.

— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) September 10, 2022

“Obviously through my career I've been pretty sporadic of playing well, veering off for a while. I've always backed myself against the best players in the world. I'm doing it on a consistent basis, starting to beat guys more readily. Ready to take the next step.”

Tiafoe became the first American man to reach the semifinals at the US Open since 2006, and he became the first black man to reach the US Open semis since the legend Arthur Ashe.

He wowed the fans in Flushing and showed how well-suited he is for the big stage.

And he also showed that he has staying power at the Slams. He didn’t just knock off 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the round of 16, he also backed the win up with a straight sets win over Andrey Rublev to reach his first major semifinal.

“I'm definitely falling in love with the process and doing the work much more,” he said. “I'm working smarter, I'm understanding. I've always, like, tried hard, but get my weaknesses stronger, breaking down my game a lot more, and I am a student of the game again.”

In a way, Tiafoe says, he’s going back to his roots.

“When I was younger, I was a big student of the game. Just get my weaknesses better, just keep trying to get better,” he said. “I always knew to put two weeks together is obviously the toughest thing in the world. That's why only three guys were doing it for so long.”