Tennis drama: One current player says Iga Swiatek is the real No. 1
NEW YORK -- NEW YORK (AP) — Iga Swiatek arrived at the U.S. Open as its reigning champion, as the winner at three of the past six Grand Slam tournaments and as the owner of the No. 1 ranking for nearly 1 1/2 years. ayes ha None of that mattered on Sunday night against Jelena Ostapenko, whose powerful style disrupts Swiatek's rhythm — and beats her every time. Swiatek's title defense at Flushing Meadows ended in the fourth round with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 loss to 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko in the fourth round at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The result also means Swiatek's stay at atop the WTA will end next week, when current No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka will rise to the top spot for the first time. “There are some sad emotions” about falling from No. 1, Swiatek acknowledged, while also saying of her reign atop women's tennis: "It was pretty exhausting." Not long after being assured of losing her grip on that perch, the 22-year-old from Poland already was thinking ahead ...