Iga Swiatek received a sweet surprise after winning the US Open.
Swiatek won her third Grand Slam singles title on Saturday, beating Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6(5) in the final. She thus became the first player from Poland to win the US Open. She also became the youngest female three-time Major champion since Maria Sharapova in 2008.
Towards the end of her post-match press conference, the moderator told Swiatek:
"I'm told if you open up the top of the trophy, there may be something."
Iga Swiatek said, "Are you kidding me?" The 21-year-old proceeded to open the top of the trophy and was delighted to find a tiramisu.
"So nice. I'm going to get dirty," she joked.
Chris Widmaier, Managing Director of Corporate Communications at the USTA, explained the reason behind the surprise.
"We notice you always check your trophy. This time we wanted you to find something. It is from the US Open," he said.
Iga Swiatek then thanked Widmaier and said that she really appreciated the gesture, especially since she hadn't eaten anything.
"Thank you. I really appreciate it especially since I didn't have anything to eat," she stated with a smile.
Iga Swiatek won her 7th title of the season
The US Open is Swiatek's seventh title of the season. The Pole became the first player to win seven or more titles in a single season since Serena Williams in 2014.
Swiatek's first triumph of 2022 came at the Qatar Open and she followed it up by doing the 'Sunshine Double' at Indian Wells and Miami. Her supreme run continued in the clay-court season as she won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart before successfully defending her title at the Italian Open.
The 21-year-old then won her sixth title of the season at the French Open. She had a comparatively barren run heading into the US Open before lifting her third Major in New York on Saturday.
Swiatek maintained her position at the top of the WTA rankings and will cross the 10,000-point mark when the rankings are updated on Monday. Her win-loss record for the season stands at a whopping 57-7.
Ons Jabeur, meanwhile, will move up three spots to No. 2 in the WTA rankings following her run to the final of the US Open.