After ‘most serious and most serious’ injury, Muchova returns to US Open quarter-finals

Despite being sidelined for most of last year, Karolina Muchova picked up where she left off at the US Open. The 2023 semifinalist returned to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over No. 5 seed Jasmine Paolini in 69 minutes.

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This time last year, Muchova reached the semi-finals after a long period of good health. It was the first time she had reached multiple Grand Slam semi-finals in a single season, following her first major final at Roland Garros, and she reached a career-high of No. 8.

But it was also the last time the Czech would set foot on the court for the next 10 months, as she underwent wrist surgery. In the on-court interview after her victory, she described the injury as the “worst and most serious” of her career, which has been littered with them. Muchova returned to action in June, and this year’s US Open is only the sixth tournament of her comeback.

Now ranked 52nd, Muchova has yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows. The closest she came was in her second-round match against Naomi Osaka, where she saved three set points in the second set. Her victory over Paolini marks her first top-five win since beating Aryna Sabalenka in the 2023 Cincinnati semifinals, and her seventh overall, and puts her in the quarterfinals of her sixth Grand Slam tournament.

Slow start, fast finish: In her on-court interview, Muchova admitted she was nervous at the start of the match, a state of affairs that was not helped by the windy conditions. She began with a series of uncharacteristic errors, not only in her shots but also in her movements, stumbling several times and slow to commit forward.

Before the match, Muchova had won 49 of 65 points at the net, but even her volleys let her down in the opening minutes, when she was trailing 3-1.

But two games later, the 28-year-old began to find her rhythm as only she can. Slices, drop shots and finally a superb reflex volley allowed her to come back to level at 3-3 against Paolini.

Muchova then took control of the match. Every now and then she produced one of her most iconic shots, such as the delicate drop volley with which she ended a cat-and-mouse exchange at the net. But she was also solid on the fundamentals: while trailing 3-1 in the first set, she only gave up five more points on serve, and only two in the second.

A finalist at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Paolini fought valiantly, as she has all year, to lead the circuit in Grand Slam match wins in 2024. But she could only land 10 winners to Muchova’s 17, and her trusty forehand began to let her down in the final stretch.

As for Muchova’s net stats, she quickly corrected the early problem. She won 11 of her 14 net points, bringing her tournament total to 60 of 79.

Shortly : Muchova will be looking to reach a second straight US Open semifinal against either No. 22 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia or former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. She leads Haddad Maia 3-0 and has never played Wozniacki before.