After more than three hours of thrilling high-level tennis, Czech Karolina Muchová emerged victorious over Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s No. 2 player. Muchová, unranked at Roland Garros and ranked No. 43 in the world, beat Sabalenka 7-6(5), 6(5)-7, 7-5 and made a stunning comeback in the third set. She will now face Iga Swiatek and Beatriz Haddad Maia in her first-ever Grand Slam final.
Until Sabalenka, 25 and from Belarus, met Muchová, 26, she had not lost a single set at Roland Garros. But Sabalenka was genuinely challenged by Muchová, who had an answer to whatever the aggressive Sabalenka threw at her. Sabalenka’s sheer power and ability to overwhelm makes up for the unforced errors that come with hitting the ball very, very hard. But Muchová, who at 5’11 is the same height as Sabalenka, was on her game. She made Sabalenka pay for those mistakes, especially in the tie-break.
The second set was just as tight as the first. Muchová took a 2-0 lead, the first time either player had a multi-game lead, but Sabalenka had a spurt of productivity and caught up. But just as she took the lead, Muchová took her back. Both players were so good and so even that neither of them could keep the momentum going for long.
Trailing 5-4 in the second set, Muchová was just three points away from the aggregate victory when Sabalenka regained momentum. She fought her way to 5-5 and then 6-6, forcing a tiebreaker that was (of course) hotly contested as well. Muchová made a valiant effort, interrupting Sabalenka’s attempts to throw a roll. But Sabalenka, one set down and on the brink of elimination, managed to dump it and rack up enough points to even score at one set apiece.
After investing so much in the second set and having nothing to show, Muchová’s level began to drop in the third set. Fighting Sabalenka’s ferocious power for nearly three hours is exhausting, but it’s one of the reasons she’s the best in the world. Soon it was Muchová who watched elimination with Sabalenka leading 5-2 and on the verge of victory.
That’s when Sabalenka started moving slowly, missing shots and double faulting. At the same time, Muchová intensifies and finally finds its rhythm. She fought her way back from match point to win her third game, and then she couldn’t be stopped. Sabalenka crumbled completely as Muchová pulled it down to 5-4, tied at 5-5 and took their first lead of the third set at 6-5. She easily won the final game, securing her unlikely upset victory over the No. 2 player in the world.
Just a year ago at Roland-Garros, Muchová rolled his ankle in the third round and was forced to retire. She left the court in tears and left Roland Garros with her foot in a boot. Today, after overcoming two difficult and injury-filled seasons, Muchová is not just coming back, she is breaking new ground.