Watch live coverage of Day 8 of the 2024 US Open
NEW YORK — Karolina Muchova was one of the favorites to finish best at the U.S. Open so far and had already secured victory in the tournament.
Muchova's 6-3, 7-6 (5) win over Naomi Osaka last Thursday night was a showcase of versatility and shot-making, serving in the second set and holding at love thanks to two volley winners, an ace and a devilish slice that a confused Osaka could only smash into the net.
Osaka wasn't at her best, but she rallied in the second set and nearly overwhelmed her opponent at one point. As evidenced by the sold-out Arthur Ashe Stadium, she is one of the biggest crowds in tennis, even as a wild-card player. A similarly packed Louis Armstrong Stadium saw Osaka dominate 10th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko on Tuesday, and then liven up a somber first week at Roland Garros in late spring with a matchup against world number one and eventual champion Iga Swiatek.
Still, the disappointment remained: Osaka said losing “kills you inside,” and her team had heralded her performance on the American hard courts as an explosive return to tennis.
Going deeper
Naomi Osaka and the weight of superstardom at the US Open
On Saturday, Muchova played another fierce display of tennis, beating Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 6-2 to reach the round of 16. Then on Monday she faced Italy's Jasmine Paolini, the women's singles story of the year, who was smiling with confidence and playing tennis that worked with her abilities rather than against them to reach her second consecutive Grand Slam final.
Muchova again stormed down the court to beat Osaka, 6-3, 6-3. After one contender for best performance of the tournament, now we have another. Their fortunes were contrasting this year in New York, but the return of Muchova and Osaka is a huge win for women's tennis, especially if they can stay in shape.
Both players have been on the comeback trail this year – Muchova finally ending a nine-month absence following surgery on a serious wrist injury, and Osaka returning to the tour earlier this year after announcing her pregnancy 19 months ago. The WTA Tour is in an interesting situation, with Swiatek winning at Roland Garros and Aryna Sabalenka also winning in Melbourne, and the other two Grand Slam tournaments being more contested, which means two more contenders return to the top of women's tennis.
Muchova has reached the quarterfinals or better in all four Grand Slam tournaments, but her incredibly strong potential has been marred by bad injury luck.
The 28-year-old from the Czech Republic, currently ranked 52nd in the world, is a tennis player's player. “She's a great player,” said seven-time Grand Slam winner Justine Henin. Athletic In June, she said Muchova was one of her favorite players to watch because of her versatility and imagination, a sentiment Osaka echoed after watching from up close on Thursday.
Karolina Muchova's deft touch is a hallmark of her tennis (Robert Prange/Getty Images)
“She's so athletic and so versatile,” Osaka said. “It's fun to watch her play and fun to play against her, even though sometimes it doesn't go well.”
Muchova analyses her own game Athletic “This is who I am, how I want to play, what fulfills me on the court. This is who I am. I wouldn't want to play any other way, even if sometimes it's too much. I enjoy it, I talk to my team and I try to improve in these aspects and I would like to continue this way,” he said in an interview before Wimbledon.
On Thursday, she said she just enjoys playing this way. “It's fun,” she said.
For those unfamiliar with Muchova's game, Thursday night was a crash course. She rushed to the net and volleyed far more frequently and far more efficiently than most players on tour. Muchova finished the match winning 13 of 19 points at the net (68%), serving and volleying at crucial moments. She also played well from the baseline, getting her first break of the match with a feather drop shot in the seventh game and then closing out the set with two powerful forehand return winners the next time Osaka served.
Muchova and Osaka's second-round match sparked enthusiasm at the U.S. Open after a sluggish start (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
In the second set, Muchova hit some incredible volley winners late on and was persistent on Osaka's serve to force the match into a deciding set, where Muchova's relentless recoveries and slicing play to disrupt Osaka's rhythm in the tiebreak led to a terrible mistake on match point that ended the match.
Muchova, who made it to the round of 16, came from a place no tennis player wants to be. After undergoing surgery in February on the part of her body that tennis players least want to hurt, Muchova feared she might never play tennis again. At first she couldn't get out of bed or brush her teeth, but gradually her strength returned and she felt better. Regular concert trips to her home in the Czech Republic helped; seeing British rock band Nothing But Thieves was a highlight.
She returned to the tour at Eastbourne, a warm-up tournament on grass courts along the English seafront, but withdrew after two matches to protect her wrist. She then lost in straight sets in the first round at Wimbledon to Paula Badosa. Badosa, who was also badly affected by the injury, said her biggest advice to Muchova was to “be patient.”
“Other players might say differently, but she's very talented and her level will come back.”
Going deeper
Welcome to Eastbourne, a seaside tennis postcard with an uncertain future
It proved to be so. Less than two months later, Muchova thrillingly defeated a two-time U.S. Open champion and two-time Grand Slam finalist. She's in the quarterfinals, where she'll face either Caroline Wozniacki or Beatrice Haddad Maia, neither of whom are looking forward to facing Muchova across the net.
The Czech player is an unseeded player and will therefore be a dangerous factor in the tournament draw even before he moves up the rankings (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Osaka, in memorable terms, said she hasn't seen results since her return, but her brilliance at the top level is a testament to the perseverance Badosa spoke of to Muchova, and her belief that it takes time and repeated matches to build the depth to match her incredible ceiling. “She's a great player and I'm really happy to be back,” Muchova said after her win.
The challenge for both players now is to continue their good performances and climb the rankings (Muchova from 52nd and Osaka from 88th) and avoid playing against opponents of their respective calibre early in the tournament. Osaka has not advanced beyond the quarterfinals of a tournament since her return on New Year's Eve. Muchova, on the other hand, has only played a few WTA matches since her return, but she has always been able to perform at her best against top players, but that has not translated into titles. Of the nine active WTA players who have defeated five former world No. 1s in Grand Slams, Muchova is the only one who has not won a major or Masters 1000 title, according to Opta.
It doesn't really matter whether Muchova or Osaka win a major tournament anytime soon: the fact that they're even playing on tour is a win for tennis, because the sport would benefit greatly if they did.
(Top photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
