Muchova beats Gauff in thriller to reach first final

Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova saved a match point to reach her first Wimbledon final with a pulsating three-set win against Coco Gauff on Thursday. Muchova held her nerve in a gripping final set tie-break, winning 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (12/10) in two hours and 35 minutes in searing temperatures on Centre Court. In the final, Muchova will face Czech ninth seed Linda Noskova or Ukrainian 12th seed Marta Kostyuk, who meet in the other semi-final later on Thursday.

Muchova is into her second Grand Slam final and her first since finishing as the 2023 French Open runner-up. In her first Wimbledon semi-final, Muchova exorcised the ghosts of her previous dismal experiences in south-west London. The 29-year-old had lost in the first round on her previous four appearances at Wimbledon. Gauff had won six of her seven previous meetings with Muchova, but the Czech won their most recent encounter in Stuttgart this year and once again she got the better of the two-time Grand Slam champion.

"It sounds really nice to be in the final. It was such a big fight. You are up and down, no time to think but it was very nerve-wracking," Muchova said. After battling injuries earlier in her career, Muchova is finally fulfilling her potential, but even she has been taken aback by her success at Wimbledon over the last fortnight. Muchova takes "pills, sprays, eyedrops" to manage a grass allergy, but she is no longer adverse to playing on the lawns of the All England Club.

-AFP