23 hours ago•4 min read
Written by Neil McLeman
Ladies’ SinglesCentre CourtSemi-Finals2h 35mK. Muchova1061712C. Gauff726610View recap
It was brilliant and it was breathless. But at the end of a superb match tie-break – where Coco Gauff netted a forehand drop shot on her match point – it was the Czech No.10 seed Karolina Muchova who won through to her first Wimbledon final and then buried her face in her towel in disbelief. It was a white-knuckle rollercoaster of a match and one of the best of The Championships.
And with the American superstar, winner of this year’s Roland-Garros, now out of contention, a new Grand Slam champion in the ladies’ singles will be crowned on Saturday.
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>> All the scores from Day 11
“It sounds really nice to be in a final,” Muchova said. “Honestly, it was such a big fight. It was a rollercoaster. It was up and down. Match point and then match point down. You don’t have time to think.
“It was very nerve-racking. I don’t even know what I’m saying, I’m shaking and trying to sink it in. The atmosphere here was indescribable, thank you to everyone who came and supported us.”
Gauff’s defeat in her seventh Grand Slam semi-final means that Serena Williams remains the last American Wimbledon ladies’ singles winner, back in 2016.
Gauff delivered a poor first set and made a total of 20 unforced errors on her shaky forehand. But the double Grand Slam champion also won 32 out of 45 net points (71 per cent) with superb volleying and showed the fight of a champion.
The world No.7 improved as the contest went on but ultimately lost out to 29-year-old Muchova making her Centre Court debut. The Czech, who reached the 2023 Roland-Garros final on the clay, is now 11-1 on grass this season after winning the title in Bad Homburg. She made only 56 per cent of first serves but triumphed with her crisp groundstrokes, which relentlessly targeted the Gauff forehand.
Gauff’s first two break points summed up the opening set. On the first, Muchova played a delicious backhand drop shot and followed in to convert a forehand volley winner. Even the American joined the applause. On the second, Muchova framed a forehand return over the baseline. The Czech broke twice and took her first set point with an ace.
The match flipped in the second set as Gauff finally found her rhythm. Varying play with drop shots and dashes to the net, the American sealed her first set point after one hour and 14 minutes when Muchova’s backhand service return sailed over the baseline.
Gauff had reached the semi-final by winning four consecutive three-set matches – the last two after losing the first set. That run ended on Thursday after a thrilling deciding set where both stars played up to their potential. There were no breaks of serve but countless top-quality rallies. The level lifted again in the ten-point match tie-break where Muchova repeatedly held her ribs. “I’m okay, I was just trying to catch a breath,” she said afterwards. “I’m good, I’m good.”
The No.10 seed produced two shots in the tie-break that were better than good. On the fourth point, she played an unbelievable low forehand volley from a searing Gauff return that hit the sideline. And she dived to convert a forehand volley to lead 5-3 before nailing an ace.
She had two serves for the match at 8-7 but looked nervous as she hit a forehand long, and after a time violation from chair umpire Alison Hughes, she made an unforced backhand error.
But on her match point, Gauff’s problems returned as she played a forehand drop shot on a short ball into the net.
The American saved Muchova’s first match point with a passing shot when her opponent slipped, adding to the drama. But the Czech took her second when Gauff could not retrieve her backhand down the line, to win in two hours and 35 minutes.
“There are so many of us tennis players and not many of us get to play on this court,” Muchova said. “It is such a history of our sport, so it is very special. We came to warm up here with Linda [Noskova] before the semis so I took a photo, so nice moment to experience this and this court is beautiful.”
Muchova will return to Centre Court for an all-Czech ladies singles final on Saturday when she takes on compatriot Linda Noskova.
