Karolina Muchova rallied from 5-2 down in the third set to earn an epic 7-6, (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5 win over Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday to reach the final at Roland Garros.
The unseeded Czech will play top seed Iga Swiatek who beat Beatri Hadda Maia in the second semi-final.
Muchova was competing in her second semi-final at a major after reaching the final four at the Australian Open two years ago.
The No. 43 became the fifth Czech woman to play a final here after Martina Navrtilova, Lucie Safarova, Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova…
Muchova will move into the ranking Top 20 with chances at the Top 10.
“From 5-2 down, I don’;t know what happened,” the winner said. “There was such an atmosphere with people pushing me and shouting my name.
“I just tried to keep fighting and it worked – I’m so happy.”
Muchova ended with 37 winners and 27 unforced errors while WTA No. 2 Sabalenka had 44 and 53.
“I don’t want to be cocky, I just want to play my game,” the Czech said.
“”I’m so glad things worked so well, this is a team success.”
Main photo:-French Open 2023 Day 12 Karolina Muchova (CZE) wins Women’s Semi-Final by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
