For a long time, Niemeier put world number one Iga Swiatek in serious trouble at the US Open in New York and can hope for the next coup. In the end, however, she had to admit defeat to the top seeded Pole. This eliminates the last German tournament hope before the quarterfinals.
Jule Niemeier's tennis fairy tale at the US Open is over. The 23-year-old outsider lost against the Polish world number one Iga Swiatek 6: 2, 4: 6 and 0: 6 in New York on Monday and, unlike two months ago in Wimbledon, missed the quarter-finals. Since 2016, when Angelique Kerber even won the title in the end, no German player has reached the top eight at the last Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Niemeier was the last German tournament hope to drop out - she can still feel like a winner in her third Grand Slam tournament. With her three convincing victories against opponents rated higher, the Dortmund player will make a big leap forward in the world rankings from currently 108th place.
"How fearlessly she imposes her own game on Iga Swiatek, how cool she stays - I'm absolutely thrilled," said national coach Barbara Rittner at Eurosport about Niemeier's long-standing performance at Louis Armstrong Stadium: "She was number one for an hour ruled the world. After that she ran out of strength."
The Dortmund woman not only relied on her strong serve. Niemeier kept throwing in a slice, was successful with stops and occasionally scored at the net. With this variable game, the German provoked numerous mistakes in the French Open winner. However, this caught itself from the middle of the second set and made a lot more pressure. Niemeier, on the other hand, lost a bit of concentration. Swiatek will play Jessica Pegula from the USA on Wednesday, who had previously beaten two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova from the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-2, in order to reach the semi-finals.
