Two American women will play on Thursday for spots in the U.S. Open final.
One, Coco Gauff, the No. 6 seed, will play in the semifinals against 10th-seeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. On the other side of the draw, 17th-seeded Madison Keys of the United States will face off against second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, this year’s Australian Open champion.
Much of the spotlight in this tournament has been on Gauff, 19, in part for how far she has advanced on the tour while still a teenager. She reached the French Open final last year, and she is the first American teenager to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since Serena Williams did it in 2001.
To reach the final, Gauff will need to defeat Muchova, who reached the French Open final this year.
Here’s what to know about the match between Gauff and Muchova, set for Thursday at 7 p.m., Eastern time.
How did they get here?
Muchova has effectively cruised into the semifinals. Through her first five matches, she has dropped only one set, which came in the fourth round against Wang Xinyu. She advanced to the semifinals after defeating Sorana Cirstea, 6-0, 6-3, in the quarterfinals.
Some of Gauff’s matches have gone on longer than she would have liked. She played a full three sets in the first round against Laura…
