Karolína Muchová is headed to her first Grand Slam final.
The 26-year-old Czech Republic star ousted world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka from the French Open on Thursday in a tight 7-6, 6-7, 7-5 battle that went over three hours.
After being two points away from securing the second set and match, Sabalenka was able to run away with the second set and come out in the third set with a 5-2 lead. Muchová did not give up, rallying to bring the match to 5 games a piece in the final set.
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Muchová sealed the win with a beautiful kick serve outwide in the ad-box followed by a lethal backhand down the line, which Sabalenka returned but sprayed out.
Much of Muchová success came from incredible serving, executing six aces and winning 63% and 64% of first and second serve points, respectively.
In an impressive turn of events, Muchová broke Sabalenka's serve 5/5 times, a remarkable feat against such a strong server. Sabalenka won nearly 70% of her first serve points.
Muchová will face the winner of No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek and No. 14 Beatriz Haddad Maia in the French Open final on Saturday.
