French Open 2023 semi-final result: Czech underdog Karolina Muchova stuns world number two Aryna Sabalenka to reach maiden major final

What a moment for Karolina Muchova. The World No.43 battles back from 5-2 and match point down to defeat the No.2 seed and reach her first ever major final.

The Czech served out to love to win a high calibre contest in three hours and 13 minutes.

It brings an end to Australian Open champion, Sabalenka's unbeaten run in Grand Slams this season while Muchova will rise to at the very least, a career-high of 16 in the world following her charge in Paris.

Muchova isn’t the only one who looks puzzled as Sabalenka briefly leaves the service line to receive a re-strung racquet at 0-15.

Whether it’s superstition or not, it doesn’t make much difference as the No.2 continues to misfire.

A pair of double faults and backhand long turn the game upside down from 40-15 up and Muchova takes full advantage as she advances to the net to guide a winner up the line.

The Czech will now serve for a place in the final after hitting back from 5-2 down and saving match point!

There’s no hiding Muchova’s tiredness between points but when the action convenes the adrenalin kicks-in.

She’s hit a purple patch at just the right time as Sabalenka’s edginess costs her. A sublime drop shot is the pick of the points as the Czech holds to love to level at 5-5.

That is a wild, wild service game and a real example of how NOT to try and serve out a match. The World No.2 implodes from 15-0, struggling to hit the curt and choking up four straight errors to break herself.

All credit to a weary-looking Karolina as she hangs in from 0-30 and then on match point, producing a clutch one-two punch to make deuce before a couple of awful misses from her opponent help her snatch the hold.

Sabalenka will now serve for a place in the 2023 French Open final.

Sabalenka earns game point from 30-30 after a pulsating 15-shot rally even saw the net cord want to get involved on three occasions. There’s a real buzz in the crowd, who want to see more of the same, but Aryna disappoints them with a fifth ace helping her emphatically consolidate and move within a game of reaching the final.

Muchova thinks she’s come up trumps again with an ace at 30-30 but Sabalenka conjures up a pair of winners to turn the tables and snare break point. This time the Czech can’t survive as flashes long to give the No.2 seed some breathing space.

There’s been a dip in the high-class level that has been an absolute treat to watch for the past two and a half hours.

The errors are creeping in more and more but neither player is taking full advantage when their opponent lapses.

Muchova has her chances 0-30 but some untimely, jaded groundstrokes allow Sabalenka to charge back and seal the hold from deuce despite a fourth double fault of the match.

Muchova continues to defy Sabalenka as the World No.2 bids to pull clear. The Belarusian looks disappointed when she skews a backhand long from a promising position at 30-30 and Karolina makes her pay with a delicious drop shot to square the set.

It’s been such a fascinating battle with both players giving it absolutely everything.

This game is almost like a mini contest in shot-making as Sabalenka responds to a scorching forehand winner on the stretch with a couple of her own trademark bullets to ease in front with a hold to 15.

Muchova looks to be on the brink at triple break point down but rallies hard to save all three, reaching deuce with a sensational forehand winner that clips the back edge of the baseline.

Sabalenka blasts her way to a fourth opportunity but the Czech quickly snuffs out the danger with clutch serving that results in her slapping down an ace to rubber-stamp the grittiest of holds.

‘God, she’s loud,’ laughs Chris Evert on Eurosport Comms as the No.2 seed celebrates a barrage of power strikes that force an error long from Karolina and secure a game to 30.

It’s been some match so far and the Australian Open champion is having to dig deeper than she has at any point in this tournament so far.

Sabalenka lands a huge wide serve to earn two set points but then double faults on the first of them. The No.2 seed steps up on her return, however, and gets away with a smash down the middle when Muchova nets her attempted body shot. It sees the Belarusian takes a scrappy breaker 7-5 and forces the decider.

We could be heading for a decider. Muchova has a 2-1 advantage but hits a surprisingly tight backhand into the net. It seems to unsettle her as Sabalenka steps into sizzle two howitzers to wrestle the momentum her way.

Sabalenka resists well in the opening rally as Muchova slices just wide. From there it’s all about the power as the Belarusian surges too a love hold to take us into a second breaker.

It’s another excellent game to 15 from the Czech as she continues to find first serves. An absolute beauty of a forehand down the line is the pick of the points as she again cranks up the heat on Sabalenka at the business end of the set.