Karolina Muchova noted she was aware that just playing it safe against Aryna Sabalenka wouldn’t get her far and also revealed that her mindset in the third set was to fight for every ball and hope that there would be an opening for her.
On Friday, the current world No. 49 sent the top-seeded Belarusian packing out of Beijing and also ended after handing her a 7-6 (5) 2-6 6-4 quarterfinal loss.
In the opener, the Czech won after being inches away from dropping the set as she saved two set points in the 10th game before claiming a tight tie-break.
However, Sabalenka was able to lift her game and easily win the second set before also opening first a 2-0 and then a 4-2 lead in the decider. In those moments, Muchova was hanging by the thread.
But then, the reigning US Open champion started missing some shots and the 2023 French Open finalist took full advantage of it to claim back-to-back breaks – complete an upset win – and put an end to the Belarusian’s streak of 15 consecutive wins.
Muchova reflects on beating Sabalenka
“Very tough match — basically what I expected. She’s one of the best players playing her best tennis these days. You really have to be ready to attack, because if you slice slow ball or…
