"Very close, but very far": Emotional Muchova loses three set thriller Roland Garros final to Swiatek

Karolina Muchova was very close to her maiden grand slam trophy at Roland Garros (French Open) having been up a break twice in the final set of the match but ultimately she lost to Iga Swiatek in three sets.

The defending champion defended her trophy successfully in Paris. It's Iga Swiatek once again as she won her 3rd French Open and 4th grand slam trophy overall. It was the hardest one yet as she faced a great Muchova who had the match in hand but didn't hold her nerve until the end. Muchova was up a break twice in the final set but allowed Swiatek to battle back losing the match with a double fault. It was a respectable effort but also a disappointing finish for a player who endured a lot in her career, many injuries that cut short any good momentum when she would find it.

Speaking after the match, Muchova admitted that she was very close but still very far:

“It was very close, but very far. She’s the world No 1, she’s the best player on clay, I would say. Very close, but I’m glad that I put up the fight and I was able to win the second set and that it was a great show. A little bitter for me, the finish, but so far it’s been an incredible tournament for me.”

It's a good result for Muchova who can use this to hopefully continue her breakout now. She'll be in the top 20 after this event jumping over 20 spots and she can use that new ranking for easier draws in the future. This level is certainly worthy of the top 10 at least and could be potentially grand slam winning as well.

The important thing would be to stay out of injury trouble but that's often more luck than anything else.