As it is, Karolina Muchova was the unexpected and unseeded entrant in the French Open semifinals.
And then, dealing with shin splints nearly three hours into the match, she came just one point away from losing to No.2 Aryna Sabalenka, who entered Thursday with a 12-0 Grand Slam record in 2023, including one title. of the Australian Open.
Muchova somehow managed to get out of that predicament, seizing the last five games against the error-prone Sabalenka for a 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 7-5 victory at Roland Garros to go to his first major. end up in the last place she expected.
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Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic celebrates winning her French Open tennis tournament semifinal match against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in three sets, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 , at the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
«A roller coaster,» Muchova said.
It was hard to decide what was more impressive: that Sabalenka lost, or the way she lost.
«I just tried to keep fighting and it worked,» Muchova said. «I really don’t know what happened.»
Well, here’s the basics: Sabalenka had match point while leading 5-2 in the third set, but Muchova erased it with a forehand winner. Thus began a streak in which Muchova accumulated 20 of the last 24 points.
«After that game, she stepped in and started playing a bit more aggressive, and I lost my rhythm,» Sabalenka summed up. «Yeah, I wasn’t there.»
In Saturday’s title match, Muchova will face No. 1 Iga Swiatek, the defending champion, or No. 14 Beatriz Haddad Maia. Her semifinal was scheduled for later on Thursday.
TENNIS STAR STEFANOS TSITSIPAS BLAME ‘MELATONIN PILLS’ FOR PERFORMANCE AT FRENCH OPEN
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after missing a shot against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic during their semifinal match at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Ranked 43rd, Muchova is the fourth-lowest ranked female finalist in French Open history. On the other hand, she is now 5-0 in her career against Top 3 ranked players.
Until Saturday, this trip to Paris was far more difficult for Sabalenka off the pitch than it was on it, where all six of her opponents were unseeded.
The issue of Belarus’s role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (the attacks began in February 2022 and continue to this day) and Sabalenka’s stance on it came up repeatedly, partly because she was up against two Ukrainian opponents.
She was asked about the war after each of her first two wins, and Sabalenka refused to participate in the standard post-match press conferences after her next two contests, saying she «didn’t feel safe» and wanted to protect his «mental health and well». -ser.» She spoke to the media again after her victory in the quarterfinals.
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Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic massages her right leg in the third set of the semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
«Some challenges,» Sabalenka said. «Emotional Challenges».
On the 80-degree warmth of the Philippe Chatrier Court, Muchova’s variety and all-court flair provided the perfect combination against one of the best hitters in the game.
An oversimplification of course, but think of it this way: Sabalenka tries to hit the ball past her opponent; Muchova tries to move the ball away from his opponent.
«It’s a bit difficult to accumulate points against her,» Sabalenka said.
The third set seemed to lean towards Sabalenka as her pressure led to some additional errors. A long forehand by Muchova resulted in a break of serve and a 4-2 lead for Sabalenka, who held on for 5-2.
That’s when everything started to fall apart for her.
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Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a shot against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic during their semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Sabalenka needed just one more point to finish, but Muchova came up with a big serve and a quick forehand winner to erase that chance.
«Just another point,» Muchova would say later.
Sabalenka failed to break there, but then served for the win at 5-3, again failing to pass. Muchova broke to 5-4, then sat up and massaged his right thigh during the ensuing changeover. Pretty soon, all of a sudden, there were 5 in all.
Sabalenka kept missing and, as if blaming everything on her racket, tried to get the attention of her entourage in the stands so she could change her team. He finished with 53 unforced errors, nearly double Muchova’s 27.
Stretching between points, Muchova just kept making big shots.
«I could see,» Muchova said, «that he was struggling a bit and making quick mistakes.»
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Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic clenches her fist after winning the first set against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus during their semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Thursday, June 8. of 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Muchova, a 26-year-old from the Czech Republic, has always found that her game works better in faster conditions: her previous best performance in a major was a semifinal at the 2021 Australian Open on hard courts, her only title at the WTA came on a hard court, never getting past the third round on the red clay at Roland Garros until now.
«It’s not my favorite surface,» Muchova said earlier in the tournament, «but I think I can play well on it.»
He sure played pretty well on Thursday.