The first major French Open upset happened early in the afternoon on the first day of the event as #8 seed Maria Sakkari fell in straight sets to Karolina Muchova. This was a tricky first-round matchup for Sakkari as Muchova is a talented player and has been a giant killer in slams with her fourth straight victory over a top-10 player at a major. Sakkari has had the opposite form of late at Majors, getting past the third round just once in the last six events after a great 2021 where she made two Major semifinals.
Karolina Muchova Def. Maria Sakkari 76 75
How it Happened
It seemed to be Sakkari’s day as the match started, holding her first two service games to love and breaking Muchova’s serve for an early 3-0 lead. Muchova scored a break after holding her next two service games to even the match at three. Muchova had a golden opportunity to secure the first set after breaking to go up 6-5, but Sakkari fought back to send it into a tiebreak. A back-and-forth set continued into a competitive tiebreak. Muchova jumped out to an early lead but Sakkari didn’t go away easily before Muchova pulled out a tight 7-5 tiebreak to win the first set. Sakkari’s nerves were certainly on display with four double faults in the set giving Muchova the chance to take advantage in big situations.
Sakkari once again secured an early break in set two to jump out to a 2-0 lead. The key turning point in the match were the next two games. Muchova broke back at 2-1 to even the set, then fought back from 15-40 down to hold and prevent Sakkari from capitalizing on a significant opportunity. The two continued on serve with Sakkari saving two match points on her own serve at 4-5. She was able to save one more but Muchova was two good and secured a break in the final game of the match to win the second 7-5 and move on.
Which Players Will Benefit Without Sakkari
With Sakkari and #21 seed Magda Linette both out, the third quarter of the draw is wide open. Jessica Pegula is the top seed but is not at her best on clay. Anastasia Potapova is a young Russia who certainly can take advantage without Sakkari and potentially make a deep run for the first time at a major. Sakkari has the talent to compete with anyone, so Anryna Sabalenka will also be glad to have her out of the draw. Sabalenka looks like one of the two clear favorites to win this event with her excellent form. She would not face Sakkari until the semifinal but Sakkari was a potential opponent who has multiple win over Sabalenka. While Sakkari’s poor form did not make her a significant contender, the upset is still large in the scope of the French Open and could provide openings for several players to take advantage.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
