Top-ranked Iga Swiatek defended her Roland Garros title with a hard-fought 6-2 5-7 6-4 victory over world No.43 Karolina Muchova in Saturday’s dramatic final on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Promoting On apparel and Asics Gel Resolution 9 shoes, Swiatek had a strong start with a commanding 3-0 lead and successfully fended off a break point at 4-1, solidifying her control over the match. With unwavering determination, she swiftly secured the first set with another break, finishing with a confident 6-2 scoreline in 48 minutes.
Swiatek’s initial dominance, as she surged to a 3-0 lead in the second set, was met with an impressive comeback from Muchova, who won three consecutive games and added a thrilling twist to the final. The tension rose when Swiatek committed her first double fault of the match on a break point at 4-4, granting Muchova the chance to serve for the second set. Although Muchova’s serve faltered in that important moment, allowing Swiatek to level the score at 5-5, the Czech player managed to secure another break and convert her third set point, forcing the third set.
Showing signs of distress, Swiatek suffered a love break at the start of the decider as she committed a double fault on break point. Adding to the woes of the defending champion, Muchova further asserted her dominance by holding serve flawlessly, acing her way to a 2-0 lead.
The two-time Roland Garros champion Swiatek, who entered this match with a 3-0 record in major finals, twice fought back from a break down in the exhilarating third set. The scoreline stood at an intense 4-4. In the following game, Muchova had a crucial break point that could have taken her to a 5-4 lead and put her in a position to serve for her maiden Grand Slam title. However, she failed to capitalize on that opportunity, and Swiatek sensed an opening to turn the tide in her favor. That’s what happened, as Swiatek earned a 40-15 lead on Muchova’s serve and converted her first championship point as the Czech double faulted.
Muchova had a tougher road to the final, which involved saving a match point against Aryna Sabalenka in the semis, while Swiatek spent 4+ hours less on the court in victories over Cristina Bucsa, Claire Liu, Wang Xinyu, Lesia Tsurenko, Coco Gauff, and Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Swiatek’s 4th Grand Slam title solidifies her stay at world No.1. The week of June 12 will be her 63rd consecutive week.
What a match!
A little ???? for Muchova but also happy for Swiatek!
Hopefully Karolina can stay healthy and have more great tournaments…Great to see her do so well! An amazing Roland Garros for her, congratulations!
And Iga…Well…Hopefully she can just continue to be Iga…! 🙂 Congrats on the title, well done and fully deserved!
I’m a huge Iga fan and have been for several years when she was a teenager and hit the ball hard when others were lobbing their shots back and not covering the court like she did. So impressive. But I do think she needs to expand her tool belt and work on her net game, which is almost non-existent. And she needs to concentrate on her first serve, hitting it harder and more accurately. She needs to lead the tour in aces. The other players are hitting hard, too, and it’s why Sabalenka and Rybanica are pushing on her crown, and now Muchova as well. If her coach can’t train her in these skills, she needs a new coach, or add some specific skill coaches.