Karolina Muchova took down fourth seed Maria Sakkari in their second-round clash at the 2022 French Open on Wednesday. The Czech won 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in two hours and 28 minutes. The world no. 81 equalled her best showing in Paris as a result of this win. Earlier in 2021, she’d reached the third round of Roland Garros for the first time in her career.
Starting the match, it was Muchova who dominated proceedings, breaking Sakkari early on to take the lead in the opening set. Both players were able to find the range of their shots, exchanging shots from the baseline with interspersed venturing at the net but it was Muchova who was able to put the pressure on her higher-ranked rival. However, there were times when her own game tightened, which allowed Sakkari to make inroads in the proceedings.
French Open: Karolina Muchova has the final say
Muchova had two set points on Sakkari’s serve in the eighth game of the first set but wasn’t able to convert. In the subsequent game, she lost her serve while trying to serve for the set, and Sakkari saved a couple of more break points while trying to bring the set to parity and push it into the tie-break. In the tie-break, Muchova finally pocketed her chance, converting on her eighth set point to go up in the match.
The second set unfolded in a similar fashion, with Muchova breaking Sakkari first in the third game only to cede her serve while trying to consolidate it. A second break on Sakkari’s serve in the fifth game once again propelled her ahead in the match but Sakkari levelled the proceedings with a break back in the eighth game. In the tie-break that followed, Muchova conceded a 4-2 minibreak lead but Sakkari’s game cracked once again, giving Muchova the chance to take the win on the first of her two match points.
Only three winners separated the two – the Czech had 31 winners to Sakkari’s 34 but she did have only 22 unforced errors, 15 fewer than Sakkari’s 37. In the round-of-32, Muchova will play Amanda Anisimova. The 27th-seeded American won against Donna Vekic, 6-4, 6-1.
Meanwhile, opening the day’s session, Aliaksandra Sasnovich ousted 12th seed Emma Raducanu in their round-of-64 encounter. Sasnovich came from a set down to win 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 in two hours and four minutes. Sasnovich will play 21st seed, Angelique Kerber, for a chance to reach the fourth round at the French Open. The German won against Frenchwoman, Elsa Jacquemot, 6-2, 7-6(2).
Photo Credit: French Open Twitter
