Iga Świątek, and now her mixed doubles partner Casper Ruud, refuse to lose.
The Polish tennis star and WTA world No. 2 had to rush to the U.S. Open to compete in the event's new-look mixed doubles tournament after she won the Cincinnati Open. Her first mixed doubles match was less than 24 hours after her win in the final at Cincinnati, but even that can't stop the recent Wimbledon star's momentum.
Świątek and Ruud cruised through their first two mixed doubles matches Tuesday to reach Wednesday's semifinal round. The pair dropped the first set to Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper, but picked up the second set to force a deciding tiebreak for the third set.
The U.S. Open's reimagined mixed doubles event plays a 10-point tiebreak in lieu of a traditional third set where the first team to 10 points, with an advantage of two or more, wins the match. Pegula and Draper got out to an 8-4 lead in the decider, looking like they were bound to halt Świątek's magic.
That was no problem for Świątek and Ruud, though, as they rattled of six straight points to claim the match and reach the final round where they will compete for a $1 million prize.
Casper Ruud and Iga Swiatek move on to the finals of the Mixed Doubles 👏 pic.twitter.com/CQFnlNjdqH
— ESPN (@espn) August 21, 2025
Świątek and Ruud now await the winner of the match between doubles pairs Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison and Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani. They have a quick turnaround, as the final match will take place shortly after the second semifinal match concludes.
“I’m gonna eat a little bit. I’m a little hungry. It was a long match," Ruud said after the match. "It was longer than Iga’s normal singles matches”
Ruud, the ATP world No. 12, has made three major finals as a singles player over his career: the French Open in 2022 and '23, as well as the U.S. Open in '22. He's still looking for his first major title, though. Maybe it can come in the form of a mixed doubles trophy alongside his partner, who has all the juice.
More on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Iga Świątek, Casper Ruud Made Wild Comeback to Reach U.S. Open Mixed Doubles Final.
