Karolina Muchova reached her first Wimbledon final after a nail-biting 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (10) victory over Coco Gauff in the semi-finals on Thursday. The Czech 10th seed converted her second match point after Gauff squandered a golden opportunity when she dumped a simple volley into the net on match point.
First set dominance
Muchova, who is allergic to grass, dominated the first set, breaking Gauff twice to lead 5-1. Despite two superb volleys from Gauff to briefly stop the rot, Muchova sealed the set with a 111mph ace. Gauff, the world number seven, struggled with her serve and consistency in the opening set.
Gauff fights back
Gauff, who had gone the distance in four of her previous five matches, raised her intensity in the second set. She broke Muchova three times, converting a third break point with a crunching backhand cross-court winner, and leveled the match with a defiant roar. Muchova looked flat as Gauff won the set 6-1.
Deciding set drama
The final set produced high-quality tennis and crazy rallies. Muchova appeared to be carrying an injury under her ribs but insisted afterwards: "I'm OK. I was just catching my breath. I'm good." In the 10-point tie-break, Muchova led 4-1 before Gauff fought back to 7-7, only to double-fault wildly. Gauff earned a match point after two poor Muchova serves, but with the court wide open, she hit a volley into the net. Muchova then had a match point, but slipped while attempting a volley, giving Gauff a reprieve. On her second match point, Muchova clinched victory when Gauff's forehand found the net.
Reaction
"It sounds very nice to be in the final," Muchova said. "Honestly it was such a big fight, a rollercoaster, up and down, match point up, match point down. There was no time to think and it was very nerve racking. I'm shaking trying to get it to sink in." Muchova will face either compatriot Linda Noskova or Ukraine's Elina Kostyuk in the final.
