Swiatek strengthens his hegemony and repeats title in Paris

Since presenting her credentials in 2020 after eliminating the great favourite, Simona Halep, in the round of 16, Iga Swiatek, who won her first Roland Garros in that autumn edition, has established a reign that this Saturday made her the youngest tennis player since Monica Seles to win three consecutive titles on Parisian clay. Nobody had managed to defend the cup since Justine Henin, four-time champion, did it in 2007. At 22, the Pole rules the circuit with an authority that only Aryna Sabalenka, champion of the last Australian Open and eliminated in the semifinals, seemed to dispute, especially after defeating her in the final of the Madrid Masters.

Faced with the volatility that characterizes women's tennis, Swiatek has established a dominance unknown since the second hegemonic spell of Serena Williams.. In addition to the three titles in Paris, he won the last US Open and this Monday begins his 63rd week as world number 1. She is talented, knows what she wants and puts the means to try to achieve it, oblivious to the emotional turmoil of players with projection devoured by anxiety.

When he found a place on the court, Muchova managed to show the good hand he has. Nobody had given him anything to appear with the number 42 in his first Grand Slam final. He came from an adverse 5-2 and 0-30 in the third set in the semifinal against Sabalenka, in which he escaped a match point, and had left three top ten in his way. The Czech had the ball to rescue the service lost early and avoided a 1-5 ball, staying alive in the first quarter, but ended up going to the chair with a 6-2. Cold, lacking in perseverance and a minimum of conviction, she tiptoed through the final, as if her presence in the final match at Philippe-Chatrier already had enough reward.

The reaction

With his usual severity, playing as if he were in a hurry to get to an appointment, Swiatek quickly widened the lead in the second set: 3-0. There was no end, but forced to take a step forward, Muchova broke in the fifth game with a great parallel forehand and spiced up the game, to the delight of a public, eager for a higher-flying confrontation. The defending champion felt the flood, who lost her serve in the ninth with a double fault. He recovered it immediately, to give it back later. Unleashed, demonstrating her ability at the net, the Czech made the most of her third set point and leveled the match.

The tennis player residing in Prague went further in a reaction that was not far from coming to a happy end. Nervous, dominated by a rival who had increased performance with her serve, Swiatek, who was 0-2 at the start of the third part, then delivered her serve on two consecutive occasions. Even Muchova, who jumps to 16th place, had a ball to stand at 5-4 and serve to take the trophy. More used to this type of match, the one from Warsaw endured the type and saw how her opponent fell apart and closed the final with a double fault. Kneeling on the sand, the three-time champion cried before going to celebrate the title in the stands with her team. It is the fourteenth of his career, seventh on clay and third of the year, after winning in Stuttgart and Doha.