Iga Swiatek digs deep to win dramatic French Open final

The world No. 1 got off to a strong start but was put to the test by unseeded Karolina Muchova before regaining her composure to ultimately defend her title at Roland Garros.

Iga Swiatek, the world's top-ranked women's tennis player, successfully defended her French Open title on Saturday in a stunning final against unseeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic, winning 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 at Roland Garros in Paris.

It was Swiatek's third French Open championship and her fourth Grand Slam title.

"It was pretty surreal," said the 22-year-old Pole: "The match was really intense, a lot of ups and downs. Stressful moments and coming back. So I'm pretty happy that at the end I could be solid in those few last games and finish it."

Swiatek, who has been the top-ranked woman in tennis for the past year, got off to a swift start and looked as if she would make quick work of Muchova, who is ranked No. 43.

She led 3-0 after just 10 minutes and was leading the second set 3-0 when Muchova made her move.

Muchova, who had a hot week in Paris, dispatching No. 2 ranked Aryna Sabalenka in spectacular fashion Thursday, said, "I could see that she was a little bit struggling, a little bit more tense."

Muchova would go on to win five of six games to even the match at one set each, then surged ahead in the third set before Swiatek staged a comeback.

How did Iga Swiatek come back?

It was then that the reigning champion said, "I just felt like I needed to be more courageous and make good decisions." She did, pulling back with great defense and closing the door when it counted. The final ultimately ended on a double-fault by Muchova.

When it was over, Swiatek, who became the youngest woman to win four Grand Slam titles since Serena Williams accomplished the feat at 20, dropped her racket and wept.

After the match, Swiatek addressed her opponent, who was playing in her first Grand Slam tournament and had a 5-0 record against top 3 players heading into the day: "First of all congratulations to Karolina. I knew it would be a tough match. I hope you're going to have many more finals."

The young Pole then thanked her teammates and her family before hoisting the trophy aloft, having a social media moment when she shook the lid off of it.

The third Paris victory — her first came in 2020 — puts Swiatek in elite company, equaling Monica Seles, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Serena Williams, all three-time modern-day champions.

Tournament Director Amelie Mauresmo spoke of Swiatek's "special relationship" with Roland Garros, saying, "She's still young... and we can imagine she will lift the trophy many more times here."