Battling Past Karolina Muchova

Eurosport

Aryna Sabalenka Reaches French Open Semifinals

Battling Past Karolina Muchova

One Point Away from First Final

Aryna Sabalenka is one point away from reaching her first French Open final after battling back from a set down to defeat Karolina Muchova in the semifinals on Thursday. The Belarusian star, seeded second, lost the first set 6-4 but rallied to win the next two 6-3, 6-2.

Sabalenka will face Camila Giorgi in the final on Saturday. Giorgi, who is unseeded, upset Sloane Stephens in the semifinals to reach her first Grand Slam final.

Sabalenka is seeking her first Grand Slam title. She has reached the semifinals of a major three times before, but has never advanced to the final.

Muchova, who was playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal, gave Sabalenka a tough test. The Czech player hit 34 winners and forced Sabalenka to save 10 break points.

But Sabalenka was ultimately too strong. She broke Muchova's serve four times and won the key points in the second and third sets.

Sabalenka will be the favorite in the final against Giorgi. The Italian player has never won a WTA title and is ranked No. 30 in the world.

Tennis Majors