Defending champion and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek reached the French Open 2023 final after beating No. 14 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2, 7-6(7) in Thursday’s second semifinal on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
On Saturday, she will face unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova, who saved a match point in a stirring three-hour, 13-minute clash to make a comeback against No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka. Swiatek came the closest to being pushed to the limit against Haddad Maia. She survived a set point in the second set tiebreak, and the eight games she dropped were the most in her six matches this fortnight. Haddad Maia led the tiebreak 5-3 and had a chance to prolong the match at 6-5 but missed a forehand at the net.
Unseeded Karolina Muchova clinched her first spot in a Grand Slam final as she stunned World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 7-5 on Thursday at the ongoing French Open 2023. Muchova saved a match point while behind 2-5 in the third set, then won five games in a row. It took three hours and 13 minutes for Muchova to script a comeback victory (7-6(5), 6-7(5), 7-5) against World No. 2 Sabalenka.
Czech Muchova will face World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the championship match. Muchova failed to convert a set point at 5-4 in the opening set, but she rallied and held firm during the tiebreak, converting her second set point with a backhand winner down the line.
Muchova took an early 2-0 break lead in the second set before Sabalenka surged to her own break lead at 4-3. The set was decided by a tiebreak once more, and Sabalenka’s power game prevailed this time, tying
the match.