Karolina Muchova is relishing the challenge of facing Coco Gauff in the China Open final.
The Czech player suffered a nightmare injury run in 2023 into the first half of the 2024 season. As a result, she has been limited to just six tournaments this year.
But when she is fit and healthy, the 28-year-old is one of the most dangerous players on tour who possesses a variety of shots to trouble her opponents.
She will aim to do just that to Coco Gauff as both players aim to leave the Chinese capital with the WTA 1000 title.
What did Karolina Muchova say about Coco Gauff ahead of the China Open final
Muchova has enjoyed an impressive China Open campaign after recording successive wins against three-time Grand Slam winner Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng to reach the final.
The 2023 French Open runner-up showed plenty of grit and mental strength to outlast Sabalenka and force her to make a series of errors in the final set.
On Saturday, Muchova kept her composure to defeat Zheng 6-3, 6-4 in front of her home fans after the 21-year-old suffered a hand injury following a fall in the first set.
Another tough test faces the World number 49 in the form of Gauff, in what will be their first meeting since the 2023 US Open. However, Muchova is not focused on her past battles with the American, as they both have grown as players since then.
“[I’ll] try to recover as best as possible tonight and tomorrow morning,” Muchova told WTA Media. “We played a year ago, so we are different players today and tomorrow. I’ll just try to play my best and challenge her and hope for the best result tomorrow.”
How many times has Karolina Muchova faced Coco Gauff?
Muchova has faced Gauff on just two previous occasions, and they both took place on the big stage.
Their first contest came in the 2023 Cincinnati Open final, in the middle of Gauff’s excellent North American summer hard court swing a year ago.
The 20-year-old claimed a 6-3, 6-4 win to lift the first WTA 1000 trophy of her career, and this gave her plenty of momentum heading into the US Open.
The pair played for the second time in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, and Gauff overcame the Czech player 6-4,7-5 to reach the final, and went on to win her first Grand Slam title.
Gauff has had to defeat Muchova to win the two biggest championships of her career so far and she will aim to do it one more time in Beijing.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
