World No 1 Iga Swiatek will be out to establish French Open supremacy by claiming a hat-trick of titles at Roland Garros but unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova stands in her way.
The dominant Pole has only suffered two defeats on the Parisian clay, winning her first title as an unseeded teenager in 2020 then reclaiming it last year.
Swiatek is yet to drop a set this year – although she was pushed hard in the semi-finals by Beatriz Haddad Maia – and will be a big favourite to beat Muchova for what would be her fourth Grand Slam title overall.
However, if Muchova can produce the same all-court wiles she showed against second seed Aryna Sabalenka, she could yet become the latest surprise Grand Slam champion.
Injuries severely restricted Muchova last year, with her ranking dropping outside the top 200.
Muchova, 26, said: “Some doctors told me, ‘Maybe you’ll not do sport anymore’. But I always kept it positive in my mind and tried to work and do all the exercises to be able to come back.
“I think everything has its own time. In the past, it was not easy. That’s actually what makes me 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. I’m super, super glad that I’m here and that I’m going to play finals on Saturday.”
Her final opponent is a fan, with Swiatek saying: “I really like her game. 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.”
Muchova’s style is a throwback in a game now dominated by power, with the Czech using variety and intelligence as well as craft and guile.
“I think I have it like that in everything in life, I don’t really want to be like anyone else,” she said.
“It’s the type of game I enjoy and I believe in. We are trying to improve it with the team. Now we can see as well that it works, so that’s nice. I’ll keep it this way.”
I’m pretty happy that I don’t have to deal with so much stuff that I dealt with in Australia. Obviously it’s still a lot of pressure and it’s not easy, but also on clay I feel like I have more weapons than faster hard court. I’m trying to use that confidence and that feeling of being comfortable on that surface to just kind of focus on that a little bit more and play better because of that.
Muchova and Swiatek’s only previous meeting came back in 2019, when the Czech won a close battle on clay at the Prague Open.
Intriguingly, Muchova maintained her perfect record against players ranked in the top three by beating Sabalenka, extending it to 5-0.
“I don’t think I will be the favourite,” she said. “It’s nice. I didn’t really even know about this statistic.
“It just shows me that I can play against them. I can compete, and obviously the matches are super close. It’s great to know that I win against the top players, and that for sure boosts my confidence.”
