Sports

Iga Swiatek digs deep to win dramatic French Open final

The world No. 1 got off to a strong start but was put to the test by unseeded Karolina Muchova before regaining her composure to ultimately defend her title at Roland Garros.

Iga Swiatek (photo: DW)
Iga Swiatek (photo: DW) DW

Iga Swiatek, the world's top-ranked women's tennis player, successfully defended her French Open title on Saturday in a stunning final against unseeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic, winning 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 at Roland Garros in Paris.

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It was Swiatek's third French Open championship and her fourth Grand Slam title.

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"It was pretty surreal," said the 22-year-old Pole: "The match was really intense, a lot of ups and downs. Stressful moments and coming back. So I'm pretty happy that at the end I could be solid in those few last games and finish it."

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Swiatek, who has been the top-ranked woman in tennis for the past year, got off to a swift start and looked as if she would make quick work of Muchova, who is ranked No. 43.

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She led 3-0 after just 10 minutes and was leading the second set 3-0 when Muchova made her move.

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Muchova, who had a hot week in Paris, dispatching No. 2 ranked Aryna Sabalenka in spectacular fashion Thursday, said, "I could see that she was a little bit struggling, a little bit more tense."

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Muchova would go on to win five of six games to even the match at one set each, then surged ahead in the third set before Swiatek staged a comeback.

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How did Iga Swiatek come back?

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It was then that the reigning champion said, "I just felt like I needed to be more courageous and make good decisions." She did, pulling back with great defense and closing the door when it counted. The final ultimately ended on a double-fault by Muchova.

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When it was over, Swiatek, who became the youngest woman to win four Grand Slam titles since Serena Williams accomplished the feat at 20, dropped her racket and wept.

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After the match, Swiatek addressed her opponent, who was playing in her first Grand Slam tournament and had a 5-0 record against top 3 players heading into the day: "First of all congratulations to Karolina. I knew it would be a tough match. I hope you're going to have many more finals."

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The young Pole then thanked her teammates and her family before hoisting the trophy aloft, having a social media moment when she shook the lid off of it.

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The third Paris victory — her first came in 2020 — puts Swiatek in elite company, equaling Monica Seles, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Serena Williams, all three-time modern-day champions.

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Tournament Director Amelie Mauresmo spoke of Swiatek's "special relationship" with Roland Garros, saying, "She's still young... and we can imagine she will lift the trophy many more times here."

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