15:54
Swiatek – Muchova 5:2
As a result, Muchova has to serve against losing the set. With the backhand, the 26-year-old does not hit the felt ball cleanly, which promptly does not make it over the net.
15:53
Swiatek – Muchova 5:2
When Muchova’s forehand lands a touch too late, Swiatek uses her third ball to extend the lead to 5-2.
15:52
Swiatek – Muchova 4:2
Now Muchova makes a lot of mistakes again, Swiatek quickly gets three balls. Then the Czech goes risky and very early on the return and scores directly with the backhand.
3:50 p.m
Swiatek – Muchova 4:2
Now Muchova builds up a rally and really plays the world number one. The crossed backhand passing ball at the end fits and brings her the game win to 2:4.
15:48
Swiatek 4-1 Muchova
Then Muchova shines with an almost seamless forehand stop – briefly played cross. No matter how hard Swiatek tries, she can’t get the thing anymore.
15:47
Swiatek 4-1 Muchova
There are signs of a second tight game in a row. Muchova cannot use a cue ball either. Then Swiatek performs an excellent rally with a net attack and also works cleanly on the forehand volley
15:45
Swiatek 4-1 Muchova
Muchova misses a backhand slice, offering a break chance. The 26-year-old then convincingly destroys this. The backhand longline sits.
15:44
Swiatek 4-1 Muchova
Muchova fires her second ace. The first serve comes 86 percent of the time – a strong rate. But shortly afterwards she cannot prevent her first double fault.
15:40
Swiatek 4-1 Muchova
Swiatek can only use their fourth game ball. Now the game is built up again with enough pressure and precision, which leads to a forehand error by Muchova. The defending champion is now 4:1.
15:39
Swiatek 3-1 Muchova
There is no question that Muchova is much better at holding on now. Especially on the way to the net, the Czech scores quite reliably. Swiatek just can’t get their service game like that.
15:37
Swiatek 3-1 Muchova
But Muchova doesn’t give up, is now back on the net with the backhand ball and also fends off the second ball from the Pole.
15:37
Swiatek 3-1 Muchova
Muchova looks for her chance going forward, has to go deep down to the backhand volley and is unable to play it in a controlled manner. So the break chance is gone.
15:36
Swiatek 3-1 Muchova
Suddenly, the mistakes in the Pole pile up. A forehand lands just to the side of the line. And Swiatek is already faced with a breakball for the first time.
15:34
Swiatek 3-1 Muchova
Swiatek just misses a backhand longline and can’t use her cue ball. So it’s about debut here for the first time.
15:33
Swiatek 3-1 Muchova
In what was the longest rally of the match at 13 shots, Swiatek remained focused and determined to the end. And now the drive volley is in place – this time with the forehand.
15:32
Swiatek 3-1 Muchova
Muchova gets her opponent into trouble with a network attack. She promptly warps the forehand. After that, Swiatek made her first mistake without needing it. The drive volley with the backhand is a touch too long. 0:30!
15:29
Swiatek 3-1 Muchova
Now Muchova knows how to please with her playfulness, sets the stop, lures the competitor forward and then places the lob well enough. A good first serve and a return error from Swiatek follow. The Czech gets her first game and shortens to 1:3.
15:27
Swiatek 3-0 Muchova
Then Swiatek is accused of her second forced error, which happened on the return. A little later Muchova manages the first ace in this match. 30 both!
15:26
Swiatek 3-0 Muchova
Swiatek determines the rallies and does not have to look for the last risk. The Pole just lets her opponent run and at some point she doesn’t bring the ball back.
15:24
Swiatek 3-0 Muchova
And Swiatek continues in form, converts to zero in just under two minutes through her service game, currently only has to wait for the opponent’s mistakes, which of course are always forced by her speed.
15:23
Swiatek 2-0 Muchova
Muchova plays too badly, and of course she is forced to do so from time to time. On the other hand, the world number one doesn’t make any mistakes at all, taking easy and forced mistakes together, we come up with one.
15:21
Swiatek 2-0 Muchova
Swiatek grabs it right away, benefiting from the fact that an opponent’s forehand makes contact with the ground a touch too late. This is the early break!
15:21
Swiatek 1-0 Muchova
In the further course of the Czech, the first serves do not help. Swiatek is now returning strongly. Muchova twists the forehand and faces two break points.
15:20
Swiatek 1-0 Muchova
Muchova can initially rely on the first, since no controlled return is possible. Afterwards, a rally develops again. Swiatek puts pressure on, enters the field and executes with the forehand.
15:18
Swiatek 1-0 Muchova
Again Swiatek has to go through second. Muchova attacks this with risk, tries the backhand return longline. This lands in the AU, with which the Pole uses her third game ball to make it 1-0.
15:17
Swiatek 0-0 Muchova
Muchova plays a strong forehand inside-in. This forces Swiatek to play a short ball. The Czech moves up and lays down her forehand with an overview.
15:16
Swiatek 0-0 Muchova
In the meantime, the Pole has to constantly go over the second and then also recognizes a backhand stop by the opponent too late. That means the first point for the outsider.
15:15
Swiatek 0-0 Muchova
Then the time has come for the first winner. Swiatek sets her forehand precisely and gets three balls.
15:14
Swiatek 0-0 Muchova
The next rally is eleven strokes long, but the result is similar, the Czech goes too long – this time with the backhand.
15:12
1 sentence
At this moment, Swiatek opens the women’s French Open final. The first serve comes straight away, but a particularly long rally does not develop because Muchova misses a forehand without need.
15:11
Head 2 Head
For the second time, the two players face each other in an official match. The only meeting so far was in Prague in 2019. At the clay court tournament in the Czech capital, Muchova won the first round in three sets and then stormed into the final, which she lost to Jill Teichmann.
15:08
The top 10 beckon
So far this season, Muchova has had three quarter-finals to her name – in Auckland, Dubai and Indian Wells. But their strong performances here at the Grand Slam tournament in Paris are enough to raise themselves in the world rankings to previously unattainable spheres. In the live ranking, the Czech is already sixteenth. And if the previous number 43 wins the final today, it would actually go into the top 10.
15:04
Entry and coin toss
At that moment, our protagonists enter the Court Philippe-Chatrier. After a few steps of preparation, you meet with chair umpire Eva Asderaki Moore to vote at the net. The coin falls in favor of Swiatek, who decides to serve.
14:59
Third final for Muchova
Muchova is only playing her third final on the women’s tour, having only played twice for titles in 2019. She was only successful at the 250 in Seoul. At Wimbledon, the Czech played the quarter-finals in 2019 and 2021. Her best major result comes from the Australian Open 2021, where she triumphed as a semifinalist. A few months later she climbed to number 19 in the world rankings. It never got any higher.
14:49
Muchova at Roland Garros
Muchova is also in the half field at the French Open for the fifth time since 2019. When Swiatek won the juniors in 2018, the Czech failed in the first qualifying round. Even in the years that followed, the right-hander did not tear down any trees. By the third round at the latest it was over. And now the unseeded 26-year-old made this march through to her first Grand Slam final. The Greek Maria Sakkari, who was seeded 8th, the Argentines Nadia Podorska (three sets), the Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu, seeded 27th, and the Russians Elina Avanesyan and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova had to give way. She pulled off a feat in the semifinals, trailing 5-2 in the third set and turning the match around against 2nd-seeded Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka while helping her opponent to stay number 1 at the same time.
14:40
The Swiatek way
In the past two weeks, Swiatek practically walked through the tournament in her fifth participation in Roland Garros and did not drop a single set. The 22-year-old had to fight hardest in the semifinals against Beatriz Haddad Maia, who was 14th. This match lasts more than two hours and ended 6:2, 7:6. Before that, she easily eliminated Spain’s Cristina Busca, USA’s Claire Liu, China’s Xinyu Wang, Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko and 6th seed Coco Gauff.
14:31
Swiatek 2023
This season, Swiatek has already played four finals and won the tournaments in Doha and Stuttgart. In total she has 17 finals, of which she won 13. In addition to the French Open, the Pole also won the US Open in 2022. There are also five 1,000 titles. Despite the successes, their status as number 1 in the world has recently come under threat. Aryna Sabalenka could have climbed the tennis throne for the first time, but failed in the semifinals.
14:21
defending champion
In this final, Iga Swiatek is preparing to defend her title from last year and would like to triumph for the third time at Roland Garros. After all, the Pole won her first Grand Slam title of 2020 right here. Strictly speaking, the 22-year-old is already fighting for her fourth title here at the facility, because in 2018 she won the junior tournament. Even then, the right-hander hinted at her potential.
14:11
bon jour!
Welcome to the French Open! In the women’s individual competition, the top two players have been eliminated. Iga Swiatek and Karolina Muchova, who were allowed to contest the grand final from 3:00 p.m., have remained from the original 128 athletes.