The women own the night Thursday at the 2022 US Open, with all four semifinalists in action as they each pursue a first US Open final and—for all but top seed Iga Swiatek—a maiden Grand Slam crown. While this stage is largely new, the terrain is not entirely unfamiliar: Swiatek has won two French Open titles, Ons Jabeur reached the final at Wimbledon earlier this summer, Aryna Sabalenka is into her third Slam semi, and while largely untested at this juncture of a singles major, Caroline Garcia is a former world No. 4 and a two-time Grand Slam doubles champion.
Still, there is no pressure quite like a US Open semifinal and no theater quite like Arthur Ashe Stadium under the lights. Nerves can play a factor, as can the long slog of two weeks against the world’s best. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the final four entrants:
Iga Swiatek
Seed/Rank: 1/1
Next Opponent: No. 6 Aryna Sabalenka
Best US Open Result: SF (2022)
Previous Best US Open Result: 4R (2021)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (2020, ’22 French Open)
Sets Played/Sets Lost: 11/1
Time Spent on Court: 8:34
Outlook: Iga Swiatek has been the dominant women’s performer of 2022—for evidence, note her 37-match winning streak earlier this year, the longest of any woman this century—and will be looking to put a capstone on her Grand Slam season with a US Open championship. The favorite for this year’s crown struggled at times in each of her last three rounds, but came through with only one set surrendered, which should put her in good stead for the homestretch. Next up is Sabalenka in a matchup of perhaps the most powerful player on tour versus its elite defender. With a title in Flushing Meadows, Swiatek would become the first woman to capture two Slams in a season since Angelique Kerber won the Australian Open and US Open in 2016.
Ons Jabeur
Seed/Rank: 5/5
Next Opponent: No. 17 Caroline Garcia
Best US Open Result: SF (2022)
Previous Best US Open Result: 3R (2019, ’20, ’21)
Best Grand Slam Result: F (2022 Wimbledon)
Sets Played/Sets Lost: 11/1
Time Spent on Court: 7:55
Outlook: Ons Jabeur has had an interesting run through the 2022 US Open draw. The Tunisian, the first African woman into a US Open semifinal, has been tested in every round—each of her matches has had either a 7-5 or 7-6 set or gone three stanzas—yet she pulls into the semifinals relatively unscathed, having lost just one set through five rounds. Throw in a day off between her quarterfinal victory over Ajla Tomljanovic and Thursday’s semifinals, and she should be rested and ready for Garcia’s challenge. The 28-year-old Jabeur is a bit of a late bloomer, but she seems to have finally assembled all her gifts to play consistent top-level tennis. And the experience she gained by reaching the Wimbledon final—her first trip past the quarterfinals at a major—could pay off come Finals Weekend.
Aryna Sabalenka
Seed/Rank: 6/6
Next Opponent: No. 1 Iga Swiatek
Best US Open Result: SF (2021, ’22)
Best Grand Slam Result: SF (2021 Wimbledon; 2021, ’22 US Open)
Sets Played/Sets Lost: 12/2
Time Spent on Court: 8:44
Outlook: Aryna Sabalenka is back into the semifinals for a second consecutive year and is playing her best tennis as the tournament reaches its penultimate stage. The 24-year-old, one of the tour’s biggest hitters, dominated the final two sets of her fourth-round match against Danielle Collins and was even more impressive Wednesday afternoon, dispatching former US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova in a lightning 1 hour and 22 minutes. That was a welcome result for the No. 6 seed, who despite the easy win has spent the most time on court of the four semifinalists and who has no rest day before Thursday’s semifinal. Working in her favor is that much of Sabalenka’s court time was logged earlier in the event; she had to battle back from 6-2, 5-1 down in her second-round match against Kaia Kanepi and from down a set against Collins.
Caroline Garcia
Seed/Rank: 17/17
Next Opponent: No. 5 Ons Jabeur
Best US Open Result: SF (2022)
Previous Best US Open Result: 3R (2016, ’17, ’18, ’20)
Best Grand Slam Result: SF (2022 US Open)
Previous Best Grand Slam Result: QF (2017 French Open)
Sets Played/Sets Lost: 10/0
Time Spent on Court: 6:49
Outlook: Caroline Garcia is into her first Grand Slam semifinal at age 28, playing the best tennis of her career and arguably the best ball of anyone remaining in the tournament. She is the only player who has not yet dropped a set—and through five rounds has not really been tested; her closest match to date was her 6-3, 6-4 victory over home-country favorite Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals. That victory pushed the Frenchwoman’s winning streak to 13 matches, and she has won 18 of her last 19 contests overall—a run that includes a title at the US Open Series event in Cincinnati, which she captured as a qualifier behind three wins over Top 10 opponents, and a victory in Warsaw that featured an upset of world No. 1 Swiatek. Add in her easy road so far and you have a confident, rested competitor ready for the biggest match of her singles career.
