Karolina Muchova put on a remarkable performance to defeat World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday, rallying from a set down to win and go to her maiden Grand Slam final at the 2023 French Open. For the Czech player, who is still making her way back after a string of injuries that stopped her ascent last year, the victory was particularly valuable.
Muchova has enjoyed a successful outing at the French Open, winning matches over Aryna Sabalenka, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and eighth-seed Maria Sakkari. Iga Swiatek, a two-time champion of the French Open, will present Muchova with her toughest test in the championship match. With a victory over Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second semi-final, Muchova stormed into the finals.
In her post-match press conference, Muchova noted she had experienced many challenging situations throughout her career. She then reflected on the challenges and stated that some medical professionals had even warned her that she might never play tennis again.
“When I missed Australian Open last year, and I was in a pretty bad state healthy-wise, I was working out a lot to try to get back,” said Karolina Muchova after the game. “Some doctors told me that maybe I shouldn’t do sport anymore. But I always kept it positive in my mind. I tried to work and do all the exercises to be able to come back,” she added further.
It has been an inspirational journey for Muchova so far in the tournament winning important matches one after the other. She will now face World No.1 Iga Świątek in the last hurdle at the Roland Garros. A victory will mark Muchova’s maiden grand slam title if she goes on to win the championship game.