Iga Swiatek beats Karolina Muchova to win 3rd French Open title, scripts history by becoming only the second woman this century to retain the crown 

Iga Swiatek breezes pass Karolina Muchova to claim third French Open title.

Iga Swiatek beats Karolina Muchova to win 3rd French Open title, scripts history by becoming only the second woman this century to retain the crown 

Iga Swiatek (Image via CNN)

Super Saturday and the women’s final in a Grand Slam draw all the headlines. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Karolina Muchova were all set to fight it out for the prestigious French Open title.

Swiatek, one of the favorites for the title, has lived up to expectations throughout the fortnight. Losing only a single set throughout the fortnight and eventually achieving glory for the third time in four years has been nothing short of highly inspirational.

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Many expected a fight from the Czech ace. And to her credit, she did give a solid fight. However, despite the kind of dominance Swiatek has displayed on the dirt, not many can surpass her. The only two players to defeat her on clay were Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka. Both couldn’t face Swiatek, as one pulled out due to injury and the other lost in the semi-final. This meant Swiatek was the hot favorite to claim the title.

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That’s exactly what happened. She brushed away her opponent in the first set, 6-2. Muchova, however, found inspiration in the second set as she broke the Swiatek serve thrice. She dropped her own twice in the process. However, one extra break meant that she took the second set 7-5. She had the advantage in the third set by going a breakup. As expected, Swiatek stayed mentally strong to pull it back and take the third 6-4. A fantastic final to finish the fortnight with Swiatek reigning supreme.

Related: Patrick Mouratoglou denies association with Coco Gauff, calls French Open stint as a ‘one-off’

Is the clay Iga Swiatek’s comfort zone?

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Iga Swiatek (Image via Sporting News)

The last few years have made Iga Swiatek a fine clay player. With a winning streak of more than 20 matches on the surface that finally came to an end with a loss to Sabalenka at the Madrid Open, Swiatek has proved that there aren’t many as good as her on the surface. She has won three French Opens in the last four years. Her movement is getting better match by match. 

Her reach has also widened as she has shown how easily she can slide on the court. With all these attributes, she certainly seems to like the surface. Her idol, Rafael Nadal, is called the King of Clay. And many are describing her as the “Queen of Clay” with such staggering dominance. For her, the challenge will now be to stay fit. The clay demands high fitness and can be a very injury-prone surface. Can Swiatek stay solid and be this dominant for long?

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