2023 French Open: Second Week Shocks
2023’s French Open has concluded. Novak Djokovic has predictably claimed his 23rd major title, and Iga Swiatek becomes the first woman to defend a Grand Slam title since Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2016. There were some surprising developments throughout the second week of the major—let’s discuss.
Carlos Alcaraz
In the third set of his semifinal match against Djokovic, Alcaraz began to cramp throughout his entire body. His level of play drastically dropped, allowing Djokovic to claim the last two sets 6-1, 6-1. This was Alcaraz’s first best-of-five match against the Serb, which is bound to be a learning experience. Personally, I was left disappointed—I wanted to see a five-set epic.
Karolina Muchova
After long and repeated struggles with injury, Karolina Muchova made it to her first major final at this year’s Roland-Garros. When watching her matches, I was very impressed with her all-rounder game, but I hate the Barty comparisons—Barty employed her slice very differently. Muchova’s serve especially surprised me in the final against Swiatek. She hit six aces against Swiatek, the best returner on the tour. I expect to see more from her in the future as her game seems suited for all surfaces, but I think the final was on her racquet more than Swiatek’s—she tensed up drastically during some key moments (she was up a break in the third set.)
Aryna Sabalenka
This French Open really seemed like Aryna Sabalenka’s to win. She was in excellent form, winning Madrid earlier in the season, but fell to the aforementioned Karolina Muchova. Cracks started to show in Sabalenka’s game when she struggled to close out her round of 16 match against 2018 runner-up Sloane Stephens. Sabalenka rattled off a large sum of unforced errors in the third set against Muchova. Although she arguably has the highest peak on the WTA tour (and is my pick to win Wimbledon), she will need to make less errors in big moments to win these pivotal matches.
Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud has lost back-to-back finals in straight sets at the French Open. In my opinion, these losses are more due to his opponents playing insanely well than Ruud playing poorly—it takes a lot to beat Djokovic or Nadal in a slam final. I still think Ruud needs a stronger arsenal than what he’s currently working with (playing as Nadal only works if you’re left-handed), but he clearly has what it takes to win a Grand Slam if he’s made it to four finals.