Muchova, a former Top 20 player who is now ranked No.43, saved a match point while trailing 5-2 in the third set, then won five games in a row.
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Unseeded Karolina Muchova reached her first Grand Slam final on Thursday, defeating World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 7-5 at Roland Garros. Muchova, a former Top 20 player who is now ranked No.43, saved a match point while trailing 5-2 in the third set, then won five games in a row. With the 3-hour and 13-minute comeback victory, Muchova evened her head-to-head record against Sabalenka at 1-1. Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open earlier this year, suffered her first loss at a Grand Slam event in 2023 after going 12-0 this year.
“Emotions, it’s been a roller coaster,” Muchova said after her win. “2-5 in the third, but I still kind of knew it’s just one break and I was waiting for my chances. … I just try to play point by point. Super glad that I turned it around and then managed to win the match.”
Muchova delivered her best tennis yet again when she faced the world’s top-ranked players. She improved her record against players ranked in the top three to 5-0. “I didn’t really even know about this statistic,” Muchova said. “It just shows me that I can play against [the Top 3]. I can compete, and obviously the matches are super close. Even today, match ball down, you really never know if I win or lose, but it’s great to know that I have the chance to win, and I win against the top players, and that for sure boosts my confidence.”
Muchova will defend her unbeaten record against the Top 3 when she faces World No. 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek in the final on Saturday. Swiatek defeated No.14 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second semifinal on Thursday. Muchova defeated Swiatek in their only previous meeting, which took place in Prague in 2019.
Thiago Seyboth Wild of Brazil won the biggest match of his career on Tuesday, defeating World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller at Roland Garros. Seyboth Wild made his Paris debut but showed no signs of nerves on Court Philippe Chatrier, swinging freely throughout the four-hour, 15-minute match to defeat the second seed 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. The World No. 172 hit 69 winners and overcame two set points in the second-set tie-break to win his first main-draw major. “I have watched Daniil play for my entire junior career, up until today. Playing on this court against this kind of player and beating him is a dream come true,” Seyboth Wild said. “Walking on court I just wanted to get to the net as much as possible and use my forehand against his and it worked pretty well.”
Seyboth Wild, who has two ATP Challenger Tour titles this year, was playing in his first tour-level match of the year. In the second round, he will face either Frenchman Quentin Halys or Guido Pella, who he defeated in the first round. “It was pretty tough. I started cramping in the second set. I did my best and tried to play my best tennis and it worked,” Seyboth Wild said. “I am really happy with the way I played.”
