(June 10, 2023) No. 1 Iga Swiatek added a third title in Paris to push her major trophy hall to four, when the Pole defeated unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 on Saturday at the French Open, also known as Roland Garros.
The 22-year-old Swiatek, who is now 4-0 in major finals, is now the youngest woman to have four majors since Serena Williams.
The Polish woman zoomed out to a 6-2, 3-0 lead, making it look as though it was going to be a matter-of-fact easy victory. The 26-year-old Muchova stepped up her game and broke her opponent’s serve three times to level the match at a set-all. The world No. 46 took a 2-0 lead in the decider, but Swiatek broke at got to 5-4 and Muchova double-faulted at break point to give Swiatek the win.
“Oh, my God, do you want to start that roller coaster?” Swiatek said to media after the match.
“It’s pretty surreal, everything. But the match was really intense, a lot of ups and downs. Stressful moments and coming back,” said Swiatek. “So I’m pretty happy that at the end I could be solid in those few last games and finish it.”
“Last year for sure it was a confirmation for me that the first time wasn’t a coincidence or something like that,” the defending champion said. “This one, for sure, it was a little bit tougher in terms of injuries and the pressure, and also coming back to this tournament as a defending champion, I right now feel like it’s a little bit different.
“I needed to really handle that.”
“In the third set I didn’t want to have any regrets about the second,” Swiatek said. “I just kind of looked forward, and I said to myself, ‘Okay, you know what? I’m just going to give it all.’ No thinking, no analyzing. Just play my game, use my intuition, and that really helped.”
“I gave my everything on the court today, so I have nothing to regret, or however to say that,” said Muchova.
“Iga is World No.1 and I was so close,” Muchova said. “I think now that I can do it. Obviously I know it’s not like, you know, just like that. It’s a lot of work and effort to do, but I’m willing to take that.”
“I always believe when I go to the Grand Slam, but I believed in every Grand Slam I played before and I’ve never played the final. So the belief is there, but that I actually achieved it, it’s a very nice and warm feeling for me.
“It’s good for the confidence. […] It says to me that I’m able to do this, to do these big results. It’s very motivational, and now I feel I can do it and I will for sure try to get there again and to put up a fight for the title on the next stages.”
More to follow…
