Paris final vs Swiatek – Muchova: From the valleys to the Roland Garros final – Sport

On Saturday Iga Swiatek will be challenged by Karolina Muchova in the French Open final. The Czech has gone through a period of suffering.

A year ago it was completely unrealistic that Karolina Muchova would challenge world number 1 Iga Swiatek in the French Open final in Paris on Saturday afternoon. After numerous injuries and more than half a year without competition practice, the 26-year-old returned to the tour in March 2022. But the comeback proved difficult. At the end of August, Muchova was only number 235 in the world.

“I stumbled from one injury to the next and there were many valleys. But I’ve always stayed positive and worked hard, »Muchova said on Thursday after her dramatic three-set thriller against Aryna Sabalenka, in which she fended off a match point. The Czech revealed that some doctors even advised her to give up top-class sport. Her back problems, abdominal muscle injuries and a bruised ankle made career continuation in question.

Return to the top 10 beckons

Muchova’s perseverance should pay off. Since the beginning of 2023, the current number 43 in the world has already made up more than 100 positions in the ranking. On Monday she will be at least number 16, and if she wins the final over Swiatek she will even return to the top 10 (in 10th place).

Muchova has already knocked out three seeded players in Paris, including two from the top 10. Your game is very varied with powerful baseline shots, precise slices or soulful drop shots. The 2021 Melbourne semi-finalist has a keen sense of when to attack the net and her volleys tend to hit the spot.

She is a player who can do everything.

There are only three French Open finalists who were ranked worse than Muchova. One of them is Swiatek, who was only number 54 in the world in her first Grand Slam triumph in 2020. To this day, the Pole is the Paris winner with the highest ranking.

Swiatek has now been the world number 1 without a break for 14 months and is also the favorite in the final against Muchova. Last year, the 22-year-old also won the US Open in addition to Paris and has already won three Grand Slam titles. At the Bois de Boulogne, Swiatek has not yet lost a set this year and only had to play a long set in the semifinals against Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA).

When Swiatek was a 17-year-old qualifier

Nevertheless, the respect for her final opponent, who is in a Grand Slam final for the first time, is great. “She’s a player who can do everything,” Swiatek enthused on Thursday. By the way, in head-to-head it is 1-0 for Muchova. But the only direct comparison so far was four years ago and is no longer meaningful. After all, Swiatek was still a 17-year-old qualifier at the time.