September 5, 2024·Sport·Editorial
Karolína Muchová (Source: Profimedia)
She labored with a wrist injury for ten months, but it is absolutely not visible in her performance. Tennis player Karolína Muchová again reached the semi-finals of the US Open without losing a set and will play for the final. She defeated the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia 6:1, 6:4 and will challenge the American Jessica Pegula in the fight for the trophy.
Exactly one year later, Karolína Muchová will once again reach the semi-finals. But in the match with Beatriz Haddad Maia had to deal with unexpected complications. The female tennis players fought not only against each other, but also against the great heat. Both of them called physiotherapists during the match, and Muchová also dealt with stomach problems, which caused her to leave the court twice.
In a post-match interview with journalists, she said that this year’s promotion to the top four cannot be compared with last year’s. “It’s definitely different. Last year I left the court and I didn’t even know if I was going to play in the semifinals because I was really in pain,” Muchová recalled of her injured wrist. “Now I just have stomach issues so that’s good. It feels good to be in the semi-finals again. If someone had asked me this before the tournament, I honestly wouldn’t have expected it. I appreciate it very much“, she added.
The 28-year-old from Olomouc won the first set in 36 minutes against the 22-ranked player from Brazil. But in the second, she left the court several times without taking a break for treatment. After the match, Muchová explained that she was suffering from stomach problems. “I actually struggled a bit with it. It was up, down. But I told myself that it was nothing terrible, like the wrist last year. It was not pleasant. I had to keep running off the court, which was a strange feeling. But in the end I fought it well,” she described.
She tried to solve the discomfort on the court with more force and by speeding up exchanges. “I tried for it. As I started to have some problems, I wanted to go into it more and not play the long exchanges that she likes and that I couldn’t stand today. So I went into it more and it worked out for me,” she confided, admitting that she was happy to have managed the fifth duel in the tournament without losing a set.
She appreciated it all the more because the semifinals will take place on Thursday and she will not have a day off to rest like before. “Now (the day off) would definitely be a plus with the fact that I’m not completely 100 percent. On the other hand, I’ll have quite a bit of time to catch up. Time off would definitely be better, but that’s not an option right now, so I’ll try my best to be ready tomorrow,” said Muchová.
Coach Emil Miške’s client will use the short break to gain as much strength as possible. “I already got some pills. I will definitely rest and drink a lot. It’s also a plus that we didn’t play until the evening and I’ll have at least a day to spare,” she pointed out.
In the fight for the first final of the US Open and the second Grand Slam after last year’s Roland Garros, she will meet the tournament’s number six and home American Jessica Pegula, who defeated world number one Iga Šwiatek. With Pegula, Muchová has a record of 0:1, she lost to her in the general round before this year’s US Open in Cincinnati 7:5, 4:6, 2:6. “He’s playing incredible now. She won the title in Toronto and then played the final in Cincinnati. She is driven and has a lot of self-confidence because of it. She is a great player. Plays long shots, moves well. She didn’t give me a single point for free, so this would be a tough battle as well,” added Muchová.
