Iga Swiatek advanced to a third set in a major final for the first time, winning her third French Open title and fourth Grand Slam overall.
On Saturday at Roland Garros, Swiatek, a 22-year-old Pole, defeated unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. Swiatek, the only singles player to win their first seven major final sets during the Open Era, was put to the test against Muchova. She became the first competitor in the competition to defeat Swiatek in a set.
With a 3-0 lead in the second set, Swiatek appeared headed for another significant final victory. Over the course of the next two sets, she made 11 unforced errors (compared to four winners) as Muchova fought back (10 winners to 11 unforced errors).
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Muchova then won the first eight points of the third set. Swiatek, under the most pressure of her career on the sport’s biggest stages, passed the test. The players exchanged breaks of serve, and Muchova had another break point for a chance to serve for the championship, but Swiatek fended her off.
“After so many ups and downs, I kind of stopped thinking about the score,” Swiatek said. “I wanted to use my intuition more because I knew that I can play a little bit better if I’m going to get a little bit more loosened up.”
No woman lower than the 14th seed has beaten both world Nos. 1 and 2 at a Grand Slam since the WTA rankings began in 1975. Muchova, ranked 43rd, nearly pulled it off.
“The feeling is a little bitter because I felt it was very close,” she said. “But overall, I mean, to call myself Grand Slam finalist, it’s amazing achievement.”
Go back to the fall 2020 French Open. Swiatek, a 54th-ranked teen, won the tournament without dropping a set for her first tour-level title.
Since, she climbed to the top of the rankings (and has stayed there for 62 weeks running), tied the longest WTA win streak in 32 years (37 matches in a row in 2022) and won majors on clay and hard courts.
