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Iga Swiatek secured the third French Open title and fourth Grand Slam on Saturday, with a rousing win over Karolina Muchova in the final of the 2023 edition on Saturday.
Leading 6-2, 3-0, an uncharactersitic bout of nerves took over the World No. 1, who dropped the second set 7-5. Muchova started the decider strongly, racing to a 2-0 lead and leading 4-3 on serve.
However, the experience of the 22-year-old meant that Swiatek rallied from behind to pull off an incredible 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win and seal her third title in the tournament.
The enormity of the situation got to the Pole after the last point was played, as she fell to her haunches with tears streaming down her eyes. The World No. 1 was quick to recover her composure, though, and hurried to give Muchova a warm embrace moments later.
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The Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd acknowledged their new two-time defending champion with a raucous applause. Muchova's efforts did not go in vain either, as her fight and perseverance on the night were rewarded with another loud round of applause.
Despite the loss, the Czech will rise to a new career-high World No. 16 in the WTA rankings on Monday.
Iga Swiatek takes commanding lead over Aryna Sabalenka in WTA rankings
Thanks to her title defense at the 2023 French Open, Iga Swiatek has retained her hold on the World No. 1 spot, a position she has held since taking over for the first time last year.
The four-time Grand Slam champion would have lost the top spot had she lost early at Roland Garros this fortnight, but she now has a 900+ point lead over World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka. While the Belaruisan has 8,012 points after her semifinal run in Paris (loss to Karolina Muchova), Iga Swiatek has 8,940.
However, Sabalenka continues to lead the Race to the WTA Finals, thanks to her title run at the Australian Open at the start of the year. She has earned 5,620 ranking points in 2023, while Swiatek has 5,145, following the 2,000 she received after winning the French Open.
