Karolina Muchova booked her place in a maiden Wimbledon final after beating Coco Gauff in a thriller on Centre Court.
Muchova defeated Gauff in three sets, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (12-10), to advance to the championship match, where she will take on Czech compatriot Linda Noskova.
It is the first time two players from the same country will face off in the Wimbledon women’s singles final since Serena and Venus Williams in 2009.
Muchova, seeded 10th at Wimbledon, will play in her second Grand Slam title bout, having also reached the last stage of the 2023 French Open.
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For a moment in her match with Gauff, however, it looked as though she might not make it to the final, having sparked injury fears among fans and pundits when she clutched her abdomen during the third-set tiebreak.
After her victory, Muchova confirmed why she appeared to be struggling physically.
Karolina Muchova speaks after beating Coco Gauff at Wimbledon
“It was very long, tough battle physically, mentally,” said Muchova in her post-match press conference.
“At the end, I had a stitch. I didn’t have anything with my ab. I just couldn’t catch my breath. I was just trying to massage it a little bit to get it away. But yeah, it was pure fight.
“The court is unreal. I had a chance to actually warm up today on it, which I think was very helpful to kind of get used to the grounds and the roof and kind of just all surroundings.
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“It’s a beautiful court. It was packed. It was such a great atmosphere. Yeah, it’s a very nice experience to play on it – even better to get my first win there.”
At 29 years of age, Muchova is the oldest player to reach a maiden women’s singles final at Wimbledon since Nathalie Tauziat in 1998 (30).
Karolina Muchova looks ahead to the Wimbledon final
Asked what she did in the days before her first Grand Slam final three years ago, Muchova replied: “I’d have to remember what I did in Paris.”
Muchova was denied by Iga Swiatek in the 2023 Roland Garros final, with the Pole defending her title and going on to complete the three-peat the season after.
“It’s been a while,” continued Muchova. “It’s been three years. I don’t really know what I was doing on a day off.
“But I will just try to do the same what I’ve been doing here these two weeks. Do the kind of same ritual, same stuff.
“Hit for 30 minutes tomorrow, try to keep it chill, recover as best as I can, then have that last match on Saturday.”
Muchova’s opponent, Noskova, had never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon before this year’s edition of the Championships.
Noskova’s best previous Grand Slam result was a quarterfinal finish at the 2024 Australian Open.
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