Mega turnaround against Sabalenka: Muchova is in the Paris final

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Czech tennis player Karolina Muchova is surprisingly in a Grand Slam final for the first time in her career. In the semifinals of the French Open, unseeded 26-year-old world number two defeated Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus 7:6 (7:5), 6:7 (5:7), 7:5 after trailing by 2:5 in the deciding set.

“I don’t even know what happened here. I’m so happy,” Muchova said. For the Czech, who had a slight limp towards the end of the game and still cashed in her first match point after 3:13 hours, reaching the final is already the biggest career success. At the Australian Open in 2021 she reached the semifinals and in 2019 she won her only title on the WTA tour to date in Seoul. Muchova is currently 43rd in the world rankings.

Australian Open winner Sabalenka, who visibly struggled with the heat in Paris and made more than 50 avoidable mistakes, had to bury her dream of a second major title. She also missed the chance to replace Iga Swiatek as world number one. During the tournament, Sabalenka made headlines when she initially refused several press conferences and eventually clearly distanced herself from Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko and the war in Ukraine.

In the final, Muchova will meet the defending champion Iga Swiatek (22) from Poland. The world number 1 has to bite into the tournament for the first time, but beats the strong Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia (27) 6: 2, 7: 6. (AFP)

Source : Blick