Karolina Muchova Defeated Aryna Sabalenka In The French Open Semifinals
To reach her first major final at the French Open, Czech Karolina Muchova, ranked 43rd in the world, defeated No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.
Muchova, a 26-year-old who is competing in the French Open for the first time in week two, defeated the dominant Belarusian for the first time this season, winning 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), and 7-5 after rallying from 5-2 down in the third set.
Sabalenka, who overcame previously shaky serving to win the Australian Open in January, committed back-to-back double faults in her last service game.
The winner of Thursday’s second semifinal, Iga Swiatek of Poland, or Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, ranked No. 14 and No. 14, will face Muchova in the championship match on Saturday.
The Sabalenka-Swiatek final, which would have been the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 match at the French Open since Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova in 2013 final, was broken up by Muchova.
Though she is an unseeded player, Muchova was considered a threat before the tournament.
She defeated Ash Barty, who was ranked No. 1, in 2021 to get to the Australian Open quarterfinals, and afterward had a career-high ranking of 19. She struggled with injuries last year and slid out of the top 200.
