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Karolina Muchova overcame a third-set deficit and reached her first Grand Slam final by upending second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday at the French Open in Paris.

Muchova, who is ranked No. 43 in the world, trailed 5-2 in the third set before winning the final five games of the match.

The 26-year-old from the Czech Republic saved a match point and benefited from consecutive double faults in the Belarusian’s last service game en route to recording a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5 victory at Court Philippe-Chatrier.

“Emotions, it’s been a roller coaster,” Muchova said. “(Trailing) 2-5 in the third, but I still kind of knew it’s just one break and I was waiting for my chances. … I just try to play point by point. Super glad that I turned it around and then managed to win the match.”

Muchova ended the match in 3 hours, 13 minutes to advance to Saturday’s final against Iga Swiatek of Poland. The top seed and defending champion posted a 6-2, 7-6 (7) victory in 2 hours, 9 minutes during her semifinal match versus 14th-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil.

Swiatek lost her lone previous matchup against Muchova in three sets in Prague in 2019 when she was just 17 years old.

Swiatek said she is impressed with Muchova’s game.

“I played many practices with her since 2019, and I also watch her actually more than most of the players. Just a coincidence, but it happened,” Swiatek said.

“I really like her game, honestly. I really respect her, and she’s I feel like a player who can do anything. She has great touch. She can also speed up the game. She plays with that kind of freedom in her movements. And she has a great technique. So I watched her matches and I feel like I know her game pretty well.

“But obviously on matches, it’s a little bit different and I’ll be ready no matter what.”

Muchova is in uncharted waters, as her previous best performance at a major was a semifinal run at the 2021 Australian Open. Her experience at Roland Garros also was not positive, as she was taken off the court in a wheelchair after sustaining an ankle injury in a third-round loss to Amanda Anisimova.

“I think everything has its own time,” Muchova said. “In the past, it was not easy. That’s actually what makes me to appreciate this result even more now, because I know what I have been through in the past. To be now in a Grand Slam final, it’s for sure my dream.

“There have been many moments, many lows, I would say, from one injury to another. … Some doctors told me, you know, maybe you’ll not do sport anymore. But I always kept it kind of positive in my mind, and tried to work and do all the exercises to be able to come back.”

Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion, saw her winning streak at Grand Slams halted at 12 matches. Swiatek’s win on Thursday also prevented Sabalenka from being able to claim the World No. 1 ranking.

Swiatek isn’t caught up in the rankings right now. She just wants to defend her crown.

“I’m just pretty happy to be in the final again,” Swiatek said. “It was a tough match, and especially second set, every point counted. It was stressful in some moments, so I’m happy that I was really solid and I was able to close it in the tiebreaker.”

–Field Level Media