Karolina Muchova may have lost a tight battle and fallen just short of winning her first title since returning from wrist surgery but she still felt like the week itself was “a win” for her and also gave all the credit possible to Zheng Qinwen.
On Sunday evening in Palermo, fans had a chance to watch an outstanding battle between the two top seeds and two players who have been to Grand Slam finals in the last 14 months. In the end, it was No. 1 seed and 2024 Australian Open finalist Zheng who came up with a little bit more and managed to beat No. 2 seed and 2023 French Open runner-up Muchova 6-4 4-6 6-2 in two hours and 49 minutes of play.
In Palermo, Muchova – who is set to celebrate her 28th birthday next month – was playing just her third tournament of the year. Previously, the Czech former world No. 8 sustained a wrist injury during her 2023 US Open semifinal run and she didn’t play until last month’s WTA tournament in Eastbourne.
While Muchova had her first post-surgery title at stake, Zheng was also playing for something special – she was hoping to defend her Palermo title and win back-to-back titles for the first time in her career. And after the 21-year-old Chinese managed to do so, Muchova was the first to recognize it.
“I’d like to…
