Swiatek takes Pole position in Paris
When Iga Swiatek won her first French Open title as a world No. 54 rookie three years ago, she did so without dropping a set and losing all of 28 games.
Coming into the final of this French Open giving away 21 games and zero sets, Swiatek, now as a ruthless world No. 1, appeared to be rewriting the script.
Karolina Muchova — a first-time Grand Slam finalist — though asked for a little plot twist, and Swiatek to play a rare third set from being a set and 3-0 up. Like champions often do, the Pole responded to adversity. Swiatek dropped a set after all but not the tag of the French Open holder.
The world No. 1 defeated the spirited Czech 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in a closely-contested women's singles final — a rarity at the Grand Slam stage in recent times — to defend her title in Paris on Saturday and collect (well, she did drop the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup in the ceremony) a fourth Grand Slam trophy of her career.
The 22-year-old now holds three of the last five Grand Slam titles, winding back to her French Open and US Open triumphs of last year. Not since Serena Williams's three-title 2015 season has the women's game seen such sustained dominance from a single player in majors.
Fittingly, Swiatek will leave Paris with her world No. 1 ranking intact, and as the first player since Justine Henin in 2007 to have successfully defended the French Open women’s singles title.
Muchova, the world No. 43 flaunting variety in her game and a record of five previous wins against top-three opponents, almost pulled off a shocking sixth only to crack in the end.
Coming off a three-hour turnaround miracle against second seed Aryna Sabalenka that left her physically drained, Muchova showed signs of sluggishness in the early moments of the final. It didn’t help her that Swiatek showed little signs of an impending collapse, a couple of great returns and a cracking forehand winner handing her the break in Muchova’s first service game.
The Czech, having a couple of break chances of her own, gradually began to grow in the fight. Muchova, with her drops, volleys et al, was swift in her all-round court coverage but Swiatek’s steady game proved too good as she took the first set on a break to love.
At 15-30 on the Swiatek serve to kick off the second set, Muchova lost a 19-shot rally to a wild wide forehand and stood visibly exhausted. Under sustained pressure, she was broken early again in the second set after another forehand unforced error. Then a set and 3-0 up, the final seemed just another day in the office for Swiatek.
Except, Muchova wasn't done with her work yet.
She broke back in the fifth game with a fierce forehand down the line winner. The rhythm back in her play, the variety returned too. A serve and volley there, a drop shot here and Swiatek was thrown off her game. In the mind too. Down 0-30 on her next service game, she yelled towards her box — a sight unseen over the last two weeks — and double-faulted on break point for 4-5.
The first-time finalist faltered in serving for the set, committing one forehand and three backhand errors. Swiatek, surprisingly, remained equally tight. Another poor game of nervy serves—her first-serve win percentage dropped from 74 to 53 in the set—and reckless errors from Swiatek gave Muchova another shot at taking the set. After winning a jaw-dropping point pulling off one volley after another at the net before falling on the dirt, Muchova seized on a third set point.
Swiatek was in unfamiliar zone here. Evidently flustered, she double faulted to be broken to love early in the third set. But she knocked it off and stepped it up just in time. Swiatek broke back and, despite her serves again letting her down, rose the very next game to get back level at 4-4 after Muchova’s attempted drop crashed into the net. Warding off another break point, Swiatek dug in for a key hold, asking Muchova to serve to stay in the match.
The error-littered Czech couldn’t, and with a double fault on match point, the Pole fell on her knees weeping.
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