Iga Swiatek, currently ranked as the No. 1 female tennis player in the world, has been eliminated from the 2023 US Open. Swiatek suffered a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 loss in the fourth-round match against Jelena Ostapenko.
Swiatek, who is the reigning US Open champion after winning the 2022 edition of the tournament, is now set to lose her top spot in the WTA rankings after the elimination. She will slip to No. 2 behind 2023 Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka.
Swiatek took the first set rather easily, and it seemed like she would cruise to another win. But Ostapenko bounced back in the second set, using Swiatek’s poor shot placement and shaky serve to make it 1-1.
The third set saw an even more dominant display from Ostapenko as she rushed to a 5-0 lead and then easily ended the match in her favor. The 26-year-old Latvian has now beaten Swiatek in all of four matches they played against each other.
“I was just thinking that I have to play until the very last point until we shake hands,” Ostapenko said after the match. “I didn’t really give her many chances.”
Jelena Ostapenko will now play in the quarterfinals of the US Open for the first time in her career. The 2017 French Open winner is set to face American Coco Gauff.
