Iga Swiatek was abruptly in trouble after spending so much of her third French Open final in the lead and control. Swiatek had a commanding lead over Karolina Muchova from the start and appeared to be cruising to a comfortable victory until anxiety set in. While unforced errors flew from her racquet and doubt festered in Swiatek’s mind, Muchova’s game ascended with variety and soul. The top seed, who had led the match 6-2, 3-0, found herself trailing 0-2 in the third set and fighting for her life.
Even as Swiatek struggled to land forehands and the audience chanted her opponent’s name, she never showed signs of panic. After two hours and 46 minutes of unfiltered drama, she kept her composure and dug deep into her mental reserves to defeat Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 and claim her fourth grand slam title.
Swiatek stated subsequently, “I’m experiencing a variety of emotions right now.” “Everything seems quite surreal.
However, the battle was extremely intense, with many ups and downs. The recurrence of stressful situations. So I’m fairly pleased that I was able to finish strong in the final few games.”
Her success has led to a level of dominance in the women’s singles draw at Roland Garros not seen since Justine Henin in the mid-2000s. Swiatek, who is 22 years old, has won three French Open titles in four years, becoming the second-youngest woman in the Open era after Monica Seles to accomplish this feat. Swiatek is the youngest woman to defend a French Open title since Seles, with a record of 28-2 here.
And Swiatek, as introverted and soft-spoken as she is, continues to demonstrate immense mental fortitude in the most difficult situations. She is the third player after Monica Seles and Naomi Osaka to win her first four grand slam finals. Muchova arrived in her first grand slam final after achieving a remarkable comeback victory over the second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. Muchova had been unable to realize her full potential for years due to injuries. It further demonstrated her ability to compete with the finest. She entered the championship with a perfect 5-0 record against opponents ranked in the top three.
However, a grand slam final is unlike any other situation a tennis player may encounter. The pressure can be so oppressive. Muchova started the confrontation by spewing errors. Her sluggish start was in stark contrast to that of Swiatek, who was incredibly consistent, made no errors, and maintained relentless depth on both groundstrokes from the outset.
As Muchova regained her composure while trailing by a break, the conclusion of the second set foreshadowed what was to come.
She unleashed vicious forehands while weaving a web of variety, luring Swiatek into unnatural positions and utilizing the drop shot exceptionally well. Her diverse attacking tennis began with an excessive number of errors, allowing Swiatek to establish a commanding advantage.
Muchova responded as the likelihood of a complete defeat grew. In a flurry of forehand winners, forays to the net, and outstanding serving, Muchova soon leveled the score at 3-3 in the second set, during which both players suffered from nerves as the service breaks swung back and forth.
Muchova was the one who assumed control. She served for the set at 6-5, and after Swiatek saved two set points, she successfully executed a serve-and-volley at deuce. Muchova slid and surged to her left side, deflecting a volley for a clean victory, when Swiatek tracked down her volleys with magnificent defense. After spectacularly tying the score, Muchova twice held a break advantage in the deciding set, at 2-0 and 4-3.
Swiatek found clarification as the match’s conclusion neared after 90 minutes of frantic play. She dominated the final three games of the match, returning spectacularly well and refusing to commit careless errors, and reached match point on Muchova’s serve. Swiatek fell to the red clay with tears flowing down her face after Muchova double-faulted on the final point.
Swiatek stated, “After so many ups and downs, I stopped thinking about the score.” “I wanted to utilize my intuition more because I knew I could perform a little bit better if I was a little bit more relaxed. Certainly, it aided in the third set.”
Muchova struggled to hold back emotions as she took the microphone to deliver her speech during the trophy ceremony.
She was consoled by seven-time French Open champion Chris Evert, who presented the trophies five months after announcing that her ovarian cancer treatment was successful. Muchova said, “The feeling is a little bitter because I felt it was a very close match.” “But overall, to call myself a grand slam finalist is an incredible accomplishment and a huge incentive for me to work hard in the future to compete for these titles again.”
As Swiatek picked up the Suzanne Lenglen trophy and shook it in front of the audience, the lid tumbled to the ground. She kissed in response.
A year after her breathless, indelible breakthrough season, which culminated in her being on top of the world, she encountered difficulties. Injuries and the emergence of formidable new competitors have presented vexing obstacles. Swiatek has taken all adversity with equanimity, continuing her ascent to become one of the greatest athletes of her generation.
