London
Karolína Muchová ended Coco Gauff’s run at Wimbledon in a drama-filled tiebreaker to reach the final on Thursday.
Gauff wasted a match point in the tiebreaker and so did Muchová before she finished it off 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (10).
“It was such a big fight,” Muchová said. “It was a roller coaster.”
Muchová will meet Linda Nosková in an all-Czech final on Saturday after Nosková beat Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-4, 6-4.
Gauff had a match point at 9-8 in the tiebreaker when she fluffed an attackable forehand into the net to follow a powerful first serve.
“I just panicked a little bit,” Gauff said, explaining that she was attempting a drop shot.
Muchová then produced a lob winner to set up her first match point, which she lost when she slipped to the grass and a passing shot from Gauff sailed by her.
But Muchová quickly set up another match point and produced a series of shots to the corners. Gauff, on the full run, reached the last ball but her forehand response landed in the net and Muchová covered her hands in disbelief.
“You’re up and down in 10 seconds. You have a match point, then match point down. It’s no time to think, but very nerve-wracking,” Muchová said. “I’m really kind of shaking and trying to sink it in.”
Earlier in the tiebreaker, Muchová produced a diving forehand volley winner at full stretch that brought back memories of the way three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker used to play. She ended up face down on the grass, her racket lying next to her, as the crowd roared.
Another Czech champion guaranteed
There will be a third Czech champion in four years after Markéta Vondroušová in 2023 and Barbora Krejčíková in 2024.
It will be the ninth-ranked Muchová’s second grand slam final after losing to Iga Świątek in the 2023 French Open championship match.
The 21-year-old Nosková had never been past the fourth round at Wimbledon, having come that far last year.
While Muchová has been slowed by injuries to both wrists over the past two years, she has now reached the semifinals or better at all four grand slams.
Gauff’s Wimbledon history
For Gauff, it was still her most successful Wimbledon. Previously, the seventh-ranked American had gone only as far as the fourth round three times – including during her breakthrough run as a 15-year-old in 2019.
Gauff had had won six of her seven previous matches against Muchová.
But Muchová has been nearly unbeatable on grass this year and extended her record this season on the surface to 11-1 after a title in Bad Homburg, Germany. Her only loss on grass this year came against Madison Keys in the Berlin Open round of 16.
Muchová beat Gauff for the first time in April on clay in Stuttgart, Germany.
It was another hot day in London with the temperature soaring to 91 degrees Fahreinheit (33 Celsius), prompting spectators to fan themselves in the stands in an attempt to keep cool.
Muchová appeared to be struggling physically as the match wore on, bending over in exhaustion after one long rally and holding her abdomen in apparent pain during the final game.
“I’m OK,” Muchová said. “I just was trying to catch a breath.”
Muchová said she took a photo of Centre Court when she came to practice on the famed lawn ahead of her first career match on the most revered court in tennis.
“There are so many of us tennis players and I don’t think many of us get to play on this court,” she said. “It’s just a nice moment to experience all of this and this court is beautiful.”
The men’s semifinals on Friday feature top-ranked and defending champion Jannik Sinner against seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic and French Open champion Alexander Zverev against British wild card Arthur Fery.
