Iga Swiatek reaches first US Open final, will face fifth seed Ons Jabeur
PARIS, FRANCE, (Thursday, Nov. 24, 2018) – Is Ita Ifans is through in her run at the US Open.
After opening the tournament by falling out in the third round last year at Kiawah Island, the No. 1-seeded Canadian faced a near-certain first-round loss at the French Open this year.
Two singles matches were needed to separate the two players who won the last major in Paris in 2014.
Ifans won, and faces seventh seed and World No. 1 Ons Jabeur, ranked 43rd, in Friday’s final to open up the week leading up to the French Open in May.
“It was really tough,” the Canadian said after being voted the tournament’s Most Powerful Player and Most Inspiring Player. “In the end, I have to say I am really proud to be here. I am really, really proud of what I did in this tournament.”
Ifans, a 20-year-old rising star in women’s tennis, is only five years away from making her first Major final, and is looking forward to a second major final to cap a promising year.
“I know it’s something special, with the Grand Slams and the US Open and the French Open and the Olympics coming up,” she said, referring to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics in the winter and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
“I don’t think you should ever take anything for granted, especially, to be able to make a major, especially with the years ahead of me,” the top-ranked Canadian said. “But to win two at this age is very special. At this moment in my career, I can say I’m probably going to be the best player ever.”
Ifans was part of a young Canadian contingent that won the Davis Cup two weeks ago in Japan and will play later this month in the World Group playoff series, which begins with a tie for first at the Japan Open in Osaka in March.
Ifans’s victory also marked the first time in US Open history that three Canadians have reached the final since the tournament began in 1982.