A month after Karolina Muchova defeated Victoria Mboko in the Doha final to win her first WTA 1000 title, she repeated the result to reach her first Miami Open semifinal. The Czech saved one set point in the second set for a 7-5, 7-6(5) win in 1 hour and 47 minutes.

Miami: Scores | Draws | Order of play

Muchova extended her 2026 record to 18-3, and advanced to her ninth career semifinal at WTA 1000 level or above. It’s the third season in which she’s reached multiple such semifinals, following 2023 (Roland Garros and Cincinnati finals, US Open semifinal) and 2024 (US Open semifinals, Beijing final).

“I just tried to stay focused, stay aggressive,” Muchova said in her on-court interview. “It was very close — basically one point at the end, and anything can change in tennis. I’m just very grateful I was able to win the last point.”

That last point exemplified both what has made Muchova a fan favorite over the years, and what has made her such a winning machine in 2026. It was a piece of her signature finesse magic — hurtling towards the net to track down a Mboko drop shot, Muchova had the feel to respond with a delicate counter-drop of her own at full stretch. But it also demonstrated her ability to rise to the occasion on big points — something that had been key throughout the contest.

Both players delivered a superb performance on serve: Muchova landed 70% of her first serves, and Mboko a remarkable 78%. As such, the match was always going to hinge on a handful of rare half-chances on return.

Muchova faced just two break points in the entire match — the second was also a set point, serving down 5-4 in the second set — and saved them in near-identical, fuss-free fashion: a serve out wide and an overhead putaway. Those points were examples of how Muchova has streamlined her game into simple, repeatable patterns this year.

The 29-year-old had fewer opportunities on Mboko’s formidable delivery — but the most important one came at a crucial moment. At 5-5 in the first set, Mboko was careless with a 30-0 lead — and then a dead net cord return handed Muchova her only break point of the match. The Canadian went wide with a forehand, and a game later Muchova had closed the set out with a nifty drop shot-volley combination.

In the second-set tiebreak, Muchova leapt out to a 4-0 lead, but Mboko managed to get it back on serve after saving a first match point with a hefty backhand injection of pace. But with the match hanging in the balance, Muchova’s sheer determination as she sped up to the net made the difference once again.

Muchova will next face either No. 4 seed Coco Gauff or No. 12 seed Belinda Bencic as she bids to reach her fifth final at WTA 1000 level or above. Both players have the head-to-head advantage: Bencic leads their rivalry 3-2, while Gauff is unbeaten in five encounters with Muchova.