By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, June 10, 2023
Iga Swiatek subdued Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 to capture her third Roland Garros crown in the last four years and fourth major championship.
Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty
Avid reader Iga Swiatek could see ominous writing on the wall.
Unseeded upstart Karolina Muchova applied her all-court skills to take a 4-3 lead in the final set placing Swiatek's title defense in deep peril.
More: Muchova Saves Match Point, Stuns Sabalenka for Maiden Major Final
Scripting inspired comeback, a spirited Swiatek won three straight games edging Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 to capture her third Roland Garros crown in the last four years and fourth major championship.
A superb final ended on a soft note as Muchova double-faulted on championship point ending a gripping two hour, 46-minute final. Swiatek tossed her Tecnifibre racquet aside, dropped to her knees and wept with joy at the moment.
"I'm feeling all these different emotions right now. It's pretty surreal, everything," Swiatek told the media in Paris. "But the match was really intense, a lot of ups and downs. Stressful moments and coming back, you know.
"So I'm pretty happy that at the end I could be solid in those few last games and finish it. But Karolina really played well. It was a big challenge. I'm happy and really proud of myself that I did it."
The 22-year-old Pole hit her way into history raising her Roland Garros record to 28-2 and joining Monica Seles and Naomi Osaka as the third woman in Open Era history to win each of her first four Grand Slam finals. Swiatek is the youngest woman since Seles (1990-92) to successfully defend Roland Garros.
"It was much harder for me this year than last year," Swiatek told NBC's Maria Taylor in her on-court interview. "Coming back after winning last year it was pretty tough because I knew that the expectations were a little higher.
"And I tried to manage that and work on that and I'm pretty happy I was able to do that. It was a pretty stressful tournament. I'm just happy that I won in the end. It's pretty crazy."
For all her wondrous racquet skills, Swiatek said self belief ultimately carried her to 14th career singles crown.
"Honestly, I think just belief," Swiatek said. "I knew I had my chances in the second set to hit my serve and win it, but Karolina really did her best and started to play faster, I think.
"In the third it was all about belief, I would say, and just getting rid of all these thoughts about the score and just go for it and I did my best. It's always amazing."
Credit major maiden finalist Muchova, for her grit, confounding variety and nearly pulling off the improbable. Muchova roared back from 2-5 down in the final set stunning world No. 2 and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in a rousing semifinal to raise her record vs. Top 3 opponents to 5-0.
Bidding to become the fourth unseeded women's champion in Roland Garros history, Muchova was down 2-6, 0-3 today and on the verge of a blowout.
Channeling the bold attacking game plan Italian Francesca Schiavone showed stunning Samantha Stosur in the 2010 French Open final, a fierce Muchova fought all the way back taking final-set leads of 2-0 and 4-3.
A year ago, Muchova hobbled out of Roland Garros in tears after suffering a tournament-ending ankle injury.
Today, the 43rd-ranked Czech again shed tears as she was saluted by a standing ovation from appreciative French Open fans after receiving her runner-up trophy from Hall of Fame legend Chrissie Evert.
"I'll try to keep this short because it's emotional," Muchova said. "This is incredible thank you. It's been amazing three weeks in Paris. This was so close yet so far that's what happens when you [play] one of the best Iga, so I want to congratulate you and your team.
"I want to thank each one of you it's impossible but thank you very much guys I would not be standing here if you were not pushing me every match the energy and everything I've never lived this and this is unbelievable so thank you everything."
A jubilant Swiatek shook the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen with so much joy she rattled the top right off the silver trophy.
The start of this final was a study in contrasts.
Wearing all-white On apparel, Swiatek stood in the hallway reading notes before walking out for her fourth Grand Slam final.
A few steps behind her, clad in all-black adidas, major final débutante Muchova cast a glance over the world No. 1's shoulder.
The 43rd-ranked Czech was the fifth Roland Garros finalist ranked outside the Top 40.
The combination of Swiatek's fizzing forehand, an unruly wind and final jitters all conspired to constrict Muchova's right arm in the early stages.
Muchova committed three forehand errors ceding the opening break and a 2-0 lead.
A flawless Swiatek sped through eight straight points confirming the break with a love hold.
Deploying the drop shot-lob combination helped Muchova earn her first hold and get on the scoreboard after 16 minutes.
That touch shot seemed to inspire Muchova, who carved a sweet drop volley in the following game to go up love-30 on the top seed's serve. Earning break point, Muchova attacked off an angled return, but Swiatek pumped a pass by her to save break point.
Taming turbulence, Swiatek stretched her lead to 4-1.
Facing break point fire in the following game, Muchova applied her all-court skills and vast variety mixing in a drop shot, some short slices and banging a two-handed backhand winner to hold for 2-4.
Trying to take Swiatek's topspin on the rise off the terre battue created some timing issues for Muchova, who sailed a backhand to face triple set point.
The story of this set was summed up in the final rally as Muchova tried to press forward and pulled off a slick spinning high backhand volley only to see Swiatek move in and rip a pass to close the routine 45-minute opening set.
That set was historic as Swiatek became the first woman in Open Era history to sweep her first seven sets in Grand Slam finals.
Though Muchova doubled Swiatek's winner output—10 to 5—Swiatek played cleaner tennis committing only four unforced errors in eight games.
The challenge for Muchova was continuing to attack while trying to navigate a tricky wind and biting blasts from Swiatek.
In another sloppy start to a set, Muchova bungled a smash wide then sailed a forehand to gift wrap the break and a 2-0 second-set lead to Swiatek.
The world No. 1 blitzed through nine of the first 11 games before Muchova blocked a backhand volley off the sideline holding for 1-3 in the second set.
Muchova drew an errant backhand to earn another break point 73 minutes into the match.
Racing right, Muchova rocked a running forehand bolt down the line breaking with a bang for 2-3.
The crowd was chanting encouragement as Muchova navigated a tricky hold to level for the first time all day after six games.
Answering uprising, Swiatek drilled a backhand winner down the line capping her second love hold for 4-3.
Continuing to press forward when possible, Muchova took a love-30 lead on Swiatek's serve in the ninth game. The stressed top seed was muttering misgivings to her box as she faced a third break point. A skittish Swiatek barely scraped a second serve over net in a let then slapped her first double fault to give Muchova the break and a 5-4 lead.
Serving to force a decider, Muchova sabotaged her cause failing to find her first serve and missing a wild forehand to face double break point. Patiently probing corner to corner, Swiatek elicited a slice backhand error breaking back to even after 10 games.
Serving stress continued as Muchova drained three errors from the defending champion for her second straight break and a 6-5 lead.
When Muchova stepped up to serve for the set again, she committed a double fault falling behind love-30. Muchova came right back with strong serves, including her third ace out wide for 30-all. When Swiatek sprayed a forehand, Muchova had her first set point.
Muchova pasted her two-hander into the middle of the net. Jolting a serve down the middle, Muchova jumped on a short forehand for a second set point.
Swiatek hit three heavy forehands in a row, chasing the Czech corner to corner before Muchova's final floating shot landed long.
In a sliding spectacle, Muchova made two terrific stretch volleys, including sliding into a split on a backhand volley winner for a third set point.
This time, Swiatek sent a backhand long as Muchova, who was down 6-2, 3-0, stormed back to win seven of the last nine games and force a final set after one hour, 56 minutes.
For the sixth time in the last 10 years, the French Open women's final went to a third set.
It was the first time since her 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-2 win over 74th-ranked Qinwen Zheng in the 2022 round of 16 Swiatek would go the distance in Paris—and the first time in four major finals she would play a final set.
Venting to coach Tomasz Wiktorowski between points, Swiatek double-faulted away the break for a second time to start the decider.
Empowered, Muchova slashed successive aces reeling off eight straight points to go up 2-0 in the decider. Muchova won the first 10 points of the third set before Swiatek stalled the slide.
The two-time champion caught a big break when her backhand pass crashed into the tape and popped over Muchova's Head racquet putting the Pole ahead love-30 in the fourth game.
Swiatek made the most of it, breaking back at 15 for 2-2. After dropping the first 10 points of the set, Swiatek streamed through 12 of the next 14 points as a topsy-turvy set escalated.
Exploiting a Swiatek double fault, Muchova played a brilliant forehand down the line-forehand drop shot combination for double break point. Playing the chip forehand return to force the top seed to play a low reply, Muchova pounded on a mid-court ball and mashed a forehand down the line converting her fifth break in six chances for a 4-3 lead.
Two games from the title, Muchova fell into a double-break point-hole. Swiatek had a backhand sitter but shoveled it long on the first break point. On the second break point, Muchova stung her sixth ace to draw to deuce. Swiatek took the net away with a two-handed backhand volley for a third break point.
This time, Muchova moaned in regret as she guided a drop shot into the net and Swiatek broke back for 4-4.
Confronting a seventh break point, Swiatek saved it with forward aggression. In a courageous hold, Swiatek saved the break point edging ahead 5-4.
Polish fans were chanting "Iga! Iga!" as Swiatek stood two points from the title at love-30 on Muchova's serve. The Czech lined up her crosscourt forehand but splattered it wide giving the champion two championship points.
Muchova double-faulted into tape bringing an anti-climactic close to a two hour, 46-minute thriller.
Swiatek dropped to her knees and wept before trotting over to her player box.
"At first I was surprised, because I saw all these matches of Karolina when she was actually coming back from scores like that, before the match point I wasn't really thinking it's going to happen now," Swiatek said of the abrupt end. "I just gave it all. But I was a little bit surprised that it actually happened, you know. She was always coming back.
"So I felt like, I don't know, I don't know what I felt. It's hard to describe. But a lot of happiness. I felt suddenly, you know, tired of these three weeks. Maybe my matches weren't like physically exhausting, but it's pretty hard to kind of keep your focus for these almost three weeks."
"#4 Surreal," Swiatek wrote on the court-side camera after scripting a dramatic fourth major championship ending.