By Tony Fairbairn
- Iga Swiatek [1] v Karolina Muchova
- H2H: Muchova leads 1-0
PARIS, FRANCE – Iga Swiatek looks to defend her Roland Garros title and win a fourth Grand Slam title when she takes on first time Grand Slam finalist Karolina Muchova in the women’s final.
 |
|---|
Iga Swiatek [1] v Karolina Muchova | H2H & Match Fundamentals
Iga Swiatek’s impressive Roland Garros campaign continues as the world number one overcame a second set blip to defeat Beatriz Haddad Maia and reach her third Roland Garros final. Now having not lost a set so far, Swiatek looks to defend her Roland Garros title and claim a fourth Grand Slam title. Standing in Swiatek’s way is Karolina Muchova who knocked out Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in three hours to reach a first Grand Slam final.
| Iga Swiatek [1] v Karolina Muchova | H2H: Muchova leads 1-0 |
| Roland Garros 2023 | Paris, France |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €1,150,000/€2,300,000 |
| Second on Court Philippe-Chatrier (Not before 14:00 BST) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime Sign up for 30 day free trial of Prime Video and a 7 day free trial of Discovery+ Player |
Muchova has had by far the more challenging route to the final while Swiatek’s confidence has grown with each match with the world number one wasting little time in getting to the final.
Iga Swiatek [1] route to the final
- R1: Cristina Bucsa 6-4 6-0
- R2: Claire Liu 6-4 6-0
- R3: Xinyu Wang 6-0 6-0
- R4: Lesia Tsurenko 5-1 RET
- QF: Coco Gauff [6] 6-4 6-2
- SF: Beatriz Haddad Maia [14] 6-2 7-6(7)
Karolina Muchova route to the final
- R1: Maria Sakkari [8] 7-6(5) 7-5
- R2: Nadia Podoroska 6-3 0-6 6-3
- R3: Irina-Camelia Begu [27] 6-3 6-2
- R4: Elina Avanyesan [LL] 6-4 6-3
- QF: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova [PR] 7-5 6-2
- SF: Aryna Sabalenka [2] 7-6(5) 6-7(5) 7-5
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2023)
| H2H: | Iga Swiatek (WR 1) | Karolina Muchova (WR 43) |
| Tournament Previous Best | Champion (2020, 2022) | R3 (2021, 2022) |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won % | 42.5 | 39.6 |
| Return Points Won % | 51.1 | 44.9 |
| Break Point Conversion % | 56.6 | 49.3 |
| Break Point Saved % | 56 | 59.3 |
| Total Points Won % | 58.2 | 53.5 |
Swiatek’s efficient break point conversion rate will be put to the test as the world number one takes on Muchova’s high percentage of break points saved in the Roland Garros final.
 |
|---|
Playing Styles and Prediction
Swiatek has yet to drop a set on her way to a third Roland Garros final as the Pole has ensured that she will remain world number one on Monday. Now Swiatek will look to continue her clay court dominance as she searches for a fourth Grand Slam title and aims to successfully defend a Grand Slam title for the first time in her career.
After her win over Haddad Maia, Swiatek admitted that she is happy to be in the Roland Garros final but nothing will change ahead of the final.
“It wasn’t easy, she’s a fighter, so I knew I had to be ready for every game because the momentum can change pretty quickly,” Swiatek said to the Roland Garros website about Haddad Maia.
“I’m happy I played so well in the tiebreak, I’m glad I was solid. I tried to push on every point. I’m happy that it worked. Of course. It’s really amazing. Honestly, it’s just tough to play a long tournament. I’m really happy I’m able to play consistently. I’m pretty excited to play another day and see how it’s going to go.
“There is no sense to change anything. If you’re in a final it means your routine is working. Our goal is to play this match as any other one. I always tried to do that and it usually works.”
In the final Swiatek will face Muchova who has knocked out two top eight seeds on her way to a maiden Grand Slam final. Muchova’s tricky mix of slice and power has caught many players off guard in the past and now the Czech Republican is rewarded for consistency and persistence by reaching the final in Paris.
After her win over Sabalenka, Muchova revealed that doctors had told her that she may not be able to play the sport again after her recent injuries.
“There has been many moments, many lows, I would say, from one injury to another,” Muchova told the Roland Garros website.
“For sure when I missed Australian Open last year, and I was in a pretty bad state health-wise, I was working out a lot to try to get back. You never know. 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.”
Swiatek will look to continue to use depth and power from the forehand as she looks to be efficient on return. Meanwhile Muchova will aim to disrupt Swiatek’s rhythm as much as possible with the slice, hoping to create shorter balls to hit powerful winners.
Muchova has the game to disrupt Swiatek’s title challenge but a question will remain as to how physically fit Muchova will be in the final given she had physical problems in her semi-final match. Swiatek’s experience will prove valuable here and the Pole should settle down the quickest as she should edge towards another Roland Garros title.
Prediction: Swiatek in straight sets.
How to Watch/Follow Roland Garros 2023
| Live Stream | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime Sign up for 30 day free trial of Prime Video and a 7 day free trial of Discovery+ Player |
| Follow Britwatch - Sport in General, Brits in Particular! | |
|---|---|
| Soundcloud | |
| YouTube | |
| We may receive compensation for products purchased via affiliate links on this website | |