Iga Swiatek Extends Her Paris Reign After Classic Final
Roland Garros
June 10, 2023
Iga Swiatek made it a hat-trick of Roland Garros titles with a dramatic victory over Karolina Muchova.
But the popular Pole had to do it the hard way in the end, edging a thriller 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
Brilliant Muchova had a break point to serve for the match. The underdog was also 2-0 and 4-3 up in that final set. Serving to go 5-3, she had almost seemed home and dry.
At times Swiatek wore an expression of despair as she appealed to her box for insight. But like all great champions, she found a way from within when it most mattered.
The demanding nature of her victory had seemed so unlikely, almost unnecessary at one stage.
But Iga seemed to tighten under the weight of expectation at 3-0 up in a rollercoaster second set. She saw the finishing line – and that can be fatal.
The Polish fans were in place hours before their heroine came into the Chatrier arena. They probably assumed the afternoon would consist of a relatively straightforward coronation of their favourite star.
But it wasn’t so simple once Muchova finally relaxed and threw caution to the wind.
And what followed was a marvellous advert for the power and intensity of the women’s game.
Iga Swiatek is bound to have a huge following on Centre Court at Wimbledon 2023 as well.
She is already an iconic sporting figure with Polish supporters all over the world.
And it was no great surprise when Swiatek raced to a 3-0 lead in the first ten minutes of the match.
Iga used her superior experience to take the initiative. Her return is fearsome – and she unleashed her power without a care in the world.
In contrast, Karolina Muchova made too many unforced errors and struggled to settle quickly enough on her big day.
She had never been past the third round before at Roland Garros. And perhaps the enormity of the occasion got to her at first.
But she turned that mindset on its head to make this final a genuine classic before she was done.
We might have expected Swiatek to stay cool throughout, just as she did in 2020 and 2022 on this same Parisian clay. Particularly after she broke twice to take the first set with relative ease.
But Karolina broke back bravely in the second set, just as we were starting to write her off. She wiped away another 3-0 lead and made a match of it.
Swiatek responded at first, but then her own highly strung nature began to get the better of her.
Muchova squandered a few chances before she took this compelling final into a third set. But you could see her growing in confidence.
And if she takes that confidence into her biggest matches at Wimbledon 2023, she could be a contender there – even against Swiatek.
Will the brilliant Iga Swiatek enjoy your support in London? Or will it be Muchova for you?
Don’t forget, Iga is a former Wimbledon Junior champion. So she has what it takes on grass, if she puts her mind to it.
Next month Swiatek will accept the greatest challenge of them all, at the most glamorous Grand Slam event in tennis.
Will you be there too?