No. 7 seed Karolina Muchova came through a spectacular fourth-round tilt at the China Open on Tuesday, denying No. 12 seed Naomi Osaka from a break down in both the first and third sets and eventually sealing her ninth match point to advance 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(7) in 2 hours and 52 minutes.
Muchova, who trailed 4-1 in the opener and 3-1 in the decider, held triple match point at 5-4 in the third set on Osaka’s serve — but was unable to take a total of five opportunities to seal victory in that game. In the ensuing tiebreak, the Czech player missed another three match points, but converted the ninth in style with a delicate backhand volley winner.
“I honestly didn’t even believe I will finish the match,” Muchova said in her on-court interview. “So many match points, I didn’t know how many. After a match point I was like, OK, I’m going for it, but then I think she always played great and steady, and didn’t make mistakes — unlike me, unfortunately! I was shaking. I’m happy that I made the last volley and it was really so close. Naomi could be standing here. It’s me, and I’m really grateful for it.”
In the eighth edition of the pair’s six-year rivalry, Muchova backed up two grass-court victories this year to improve to 5-3 overall against Osaka — though she still trails 3-2 on outdoor hard courts. She booked her place in her fourth quarterfinal at WTA 1000 level or above this season, following her Doha title, Wimbledon final run and Miami semifinal showing. The 2024 runner-up in Beijing, Muchova will next face either No. 26-seeded compatriot Nikola Bartunkova or Austria’s Sinja Kraus as she bids to collect a third title in 2026.
More to come…