Upsets in tennis can often be something of a double-edged sword. While exciting and buzz-worthy in the moment, they can also rob a tournament of star power and diminish the marquee nature of some of the matches to come.
Karolina Muchova’s stunning 7-6(5) 6-7(5) 7-5 semifinal shocker over No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka prompted a rightfully explosive reaction from the crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier on Thursday, but also scuttled an anticipated No. 1 vs No. 2 final. Instead of seeing Sabalenka challenge Iga Swiatek in a battle of the top players in women’s tennis, it will be Muchova facing the World No. 1 in what appears to be a mismatch.
Or is this just one more giant for Muchova to conquer?
With wins over Sabalenka and Maria Sakkari (who, incidentally, owns the only French Open victory over Swiatek since 2019), Muchova’s run to her first ever Grand Slam final has already demonstrated that no one is unbeatable. In both of those Top 10 wins, the energetic Czech applied constant pressure to force her favored opponents out of their comfort zone and into a slew of unforced errors.
Swiatek, of course, isn’t generally disposed to making sloppy errors. However, the Polish superstar looked mortal at times while surviving a 6-2 7-6(7) challenge from No. 14 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in her semifinal. In that match, she was broken twice by the Brazilian and had trouble answering for a booming forehand that often had her on the defensive.
Muchova doesn’t possess quite the same potency on her forehand as Haddad Maia, but still boasts formidable groundstrokes and makes up for it with elite athleticism. Her stellar conditioning, especially coming off some serious injuries, was also on full display as she managed to outlast Sabalenka on Thursday.
To be clear, Swiatek, who has yet to drop a set in Paris, still enters Saturday’s final as the heavy favorite. But a small stumble in the second set of her own semifinal, coupled with the rising confidence of the giant killer Muchova, could make this closer than their respective seeding might indicate.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
