Tearful Iga Swiatek overcame a mid-match meltdown to defeat Karolina Muchova and defend her French Open crown. Against the world No. 43, the world No. 1 was up a set and 3-0 and appeared to be coasting to her fourth Grand Slam victory.
However, the Pole wilted in the heat of Paris as the Czech star found her game in her first Major final. Before dropping the second set, the first set she has ever dropped in a Grand Slam final, and the first eight points of the decider, she dropped five of her last six games.
However, Swiatek recovered from a 2-0 deficit and upped her game to win 6-2 5-7 6-4 after two hours and 46 minutes, before sobbing openly on the court. The final was a riveting emotional rollercoaster that featured 12 serve breaks.
At only 22 years old, Swiatek becomes the youngest player to win four Grand Slam titles since Serena Williams in 2002.
Fans were ecstatic over Swiatek’s historic performance. One twitter user wrote “Iga Swiatek is in tears after beating Karolina Muchova to win Roland Garros What a beautiful way to end these two weeks. We rarely see Iga cry, so it makes it even more special to see how much this means to her She deserves this in every way.”
Another person said, “#1 Iga Swiatek, one of the best players at delivering decisive defeats in tennis history, was made to battle for her fourth major title, and she prevailed. 6-2. 5-7, 6-4 over Karolina Muchova, who dug deep and made it a thrilling final. Iga already a legend of #RolandGarros.”
People were also appreciative of Muchova, who gave it her all in the final. A person said, “Karolina Muchova was crying before her speech after losing to Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros This is the reaction of someone who’s been through doubts & pain, but never once gave up on herself Today is a beautiful day to cherish & celebrate this woman”
Muchova had a jittery start to her first Grand Slam final, winning just three points in the opening three games, and she never truly participated in the match.
Chants of “Karo, Karo” from a crowd eager to watch a match began to resound throughout Court Philippe-Chatrier during her second serve game at 0-3 15-30.
After 16 minutes, the Czech was motivated to hit down an ace on her route to winning her first game. Prior to Swiatek finally holding on to take a 4-1 lead after the following 10 minutes of play, Muchova had a break point.