Muchova defeated Gauff in a thrilling match to reach the Wimbledon final | Tennis

Staying focused despite her previous injuries allowed Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova to end Coco Gauff’s stunning run in their Wimbledon semifinal with a thrilling three-set victory over the American player.

Gauff, who has yet to make it past the last four at Wimbledon, was in danger at the third Grand Slam of the year, but 10th seed Muchova came out on top after saving a point in the third game to drop the seventh seed 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (12-10) (12-10).

Muchova, who has undergone several surgeries recently, went to the ground after training to catch Gauff but did not forget the ball.

For the Wimbledon finals, Muchova was ready to put her body on the line, bruises and all.

All Czech

He is my friend Linda Noskova beats Marta Kostyuk in Thursday’s second semi, the pair made the Czech women’s Grand Slam final for the first time.

It also means that for the third time in four years, the Czech will have the Venus Rosewater Dish, after the victories of Marketa Vondrousova in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova in 2024.

All those dreams were about to end in the blink of an eye for Muchova as Gauff made it 9-8 at the break, but the American left the crowd gasping as he unleashed a screamer.

Hesitating for a fraction of a second, his attempt at a drop shot ended with the ball being thrown into the net.

Rollercoaster tie-break to decide the match

Muchova was one of those who couldn’t believe what happened at the break when he led 4-1, went on to 6-3, before Gauff defied the odds to get to the starting point.

But as Gauff discovered, the difference between getting to a competitive position and changing a match is as wide as the Atlantic Ocean.

“It feels great to be in the finals. It was a great fight, it was a rollercoaster; you’ve been up and down,” a beaming Muchova, still trying to catch her breath, told the crowd.

“In 10 seconds, you have the same point, then you’re down, there’s no time to think, but it’s very worrying. I don’t know what I’m talking about.

“I’m shaking a lot and trying to absorb it, but the atmosphere here – incredible.”

When the two met in the finals of the 2023 US Open, weather protesters, including one who stuck to the cement floor of the venue, disrupted play for nearly 50 minutes.

At least this time, it was the players making all the fun.

Furnace in Center Court

No one would have guessed that Muchova was allergic to weed, and that he needed “a lot of pills, sprays, eye drops” to get to the most famous tennis venue.

While the spectators struggled to stay cool in the furnace-like atmosphere on Center Court, Muchova’s choice and mix of different styles on the grass court was evident when she broke Gauff in the third and fifth games, the American giving her away again with a backhand forehand error.

The 179km/h (111mph) ace closed out Muchova and put her within striking distance of her first Wimbledon final.

However, no one can say that Gauff carries the white flag when the journey is difficult, or even takes the easy way, since he survived four consecutive trips to reach the end – and again, he was ready to go the distance.

Gauff knows he’s close

After failing to convert his first eight break opportunities, the American recovered in the ninth to take a 3-1 lead.

Another 5-1 break sent his mother scrambling to the box, and one game later, it was all level.

After two one-sided sets, both players showed off their striking skills, unleashing fierce and impressive forehands, as they went toe-to-toe in an enticing decision.

Gauff had two chances to take a 5-4 lead, but when Muchova used her get-out-of-jail-free card to get out of the jam, there was no stopping her.

He pulled out all the stops in the final game, including a brutal volley winner, and drew Gauff for his first point.

When he went for it, he didn’t make a second mistake, and he raised his hands in triumph as he saw the American slam a header into the net to end the two-hour, 35-minute showdown.

“Obviously they got very close. Of course I think about the second, the third, the last point, everything. A match for sure to remember. It’s hard to digest. I left it all out there,” explained Gauff.

Gauff expects hate messages after the loss

The 22-year-old said he expected to receive hateful messages online after missing the match against Muchova.

“I’m going to be online. I probably already have hate comments and so on. It’s okay. It just makes you stronger,” said Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion.

“Bettors who lose, who are crazy and stuff. It’s normal. It sucks, but it’s like, whatever.

“I’ll be back on the winning end next time, and I’ll be sure to write them down.”

A number of players in recent years have spoken out about hateful messages on social media, including death threats.

In January 2024, the governing body of tennis launched an AI tool called “Threat Matrix” to analyze players’ aggression in the game.

The WTA and the ITF later said that researchers had confirmed almost 8,000 messages as “insulting, violent or threatening” in 2024, highlighting “angry gamblers who are increasingly attacking players”.