Czech tennis player Karolina Muchova shocks world No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka to reach Roland Garros final

The 26-year-old native of Olomouc can become the next Czech winner of the Paris tournament two years after Barbora Krejčíková. The last Grand Slam finalist was Karolína Plíšková at Wimbledon two years ago.

In addition to Krejčíková, Hana Mandlíková also won the singles at Roland Garros in 1981. Martina Navrátilová also won twice, but she represented the USA in 1982 and 1984.

The winner of the Australian Open in January, Sabalenkova lost only the sixth of 40 matches this year and will not add a second Grand Slam title this season. She paid for 53 unforced errors, Muchová had 26 fewer. The Czech played 37 winning balls, Sabalenková 44.

Coach Emil Miške’s protege kept pace with the favorite from the start. She avoided two break points in the fourth game. With the score at 4:4, Muchová broke the opponent’s serve, but immediately did not use the set point, did not serve the set and it was decided in a shortened game.

In it, the Czech tennis player led 3:0. Although Sabalenková turned it around to 5:4, the member of the 1st ČLTK Prague nevertheless kept her cool and, thanks to three successful balls in a row, controlled the tie-break 7:5. Sabalenkova lost a set for the first time in the tournament.

The even battle continued. Muchová took the lead 2:0, but Sabalenková turned it around to 4:3. The 43rd player in the world was also able to react, equalized and once again led the duel to a shortened game.

In it, Sabalenková turned from 1:2 to 4:2 and had two set points. She didn’t use the first one and made a double fault, but during Muchová’s service, she pushed the Czech on the defensive and equalized after a hard smash.

At the beginning of the decisive set, Muchová withstood the first critical moments, as she averted four break points at 0:1. Sabalenková often jeered loudly, even covering her face with a towel during a break. Nevertheless, thanks to a break in the sixth game, she took a 5-2 lead. In that condition, she also had a match point during Muchová’s service.

However, the Czech turned it away and staged a brilliant turn. In the dramatic finale, she broke the Belarusian’s serve twice, won a total of five games in a row, and the visibly shaken Sabalenko arrived on serve with a clean game. After the match point, she raised her hands above her head in happiness.

Muchová became only the third Roland Garros finalist after Latvian Jelena Ostapenko (2017) and Šwiateková (2020), who figures outside the top forty of the world ranking. Both players then won the tournament.

Muchová: I don’t know how I actually managed it

The Parisian audience pushed Muchová forward. “Thank you all. I really don’t know what exactly happened that I was able to turn it around in the third set. It’s unbelievable, you pushed me forward the whole match, so I didn’t stop fighting. I don’t know at all how I managed it,” Muchová beamed on the court immediately after the match.

Mats Wilander praised Muchová for the game she performed, the combination of blows and called her performance mature. “I hear people say that, but I don’t want to be too proud of myself. That’s my game, we’ve been working on it for a long time. I want to thank the whole team. It is our joint success,” said Muchová.

“I would easily play that match again, because here in front of you I’m playing really well. People encourage me even when I go to wipe my face with a towel,” the recent finalist praised the audience of the Paris Grand Slam.