Muchova saves match point, outlasts Gauff in 'rollercoaster' Wimbledon semifinal

Karolina Muchova is headed to her second Grand Slam singles final after surviving one of the matches of the tournament on Thursday at Wimbledon.

The Czech outlasted Coco Gauff 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(10) in a gripping semifinal that featured a deciding match tiebreak. After seeing a 6-3 lead disappear, Muchova saved match point at 9-8 before closing out the victory for her second win over Gauff this season after beginning the rivalry with six straight losses.

Saturday's final will carry even more history. Muchova will face fellow Czech Linda Noskova in the first all-Czech women's singles final in Wimbledon history. The winner will become a first-time Grand Slam champion.

"It's a very special moment," Muchova said in her post-match press conference. "It's a great achievement. This is one of the biggest tournaments that we have with all the history. So many legends have played here. Just to play on Centre Court was so nice. I'm incredibly happy that it happened and that I have another chance to play a final."

Gauff entered the first Wimbledon semifinal for both players with a commanding edge in the head-to-head and more experience on Centre Court. But after the pair split two one-sided sets, the match settled into a fitting decider.

The numbers pointed in opposite directions. Muchova was 28-0 this season after winning the opening set. Gauff, meanwhile, was 13-2 in her previous 15 three-set matches at Grand Slams, including four deciding-set victories at this year's Championships.

Neither player dropped serve in the third set, though there were close calls. Gauff erased two break points to hold for 2-1, while Muchova escaped from 15-40 at 4-4 to force the match toward its dramatic finish.

Muchova dazzled early in the deciding match tiebreak, flashing a reflex forehand volley from her shoelaces and later a full-stretch diving volley to build a 6-3 advantage.

But Gauff responded like one of the Tour's toughest competitors. Just as she had rallied from 7-4 down to beat Solana Sierra in a second-round match tiebreak, the American reeled off three straight points to level the score, then won six of the next eight to earn match point at 9-8.

That's when the momentum shifted one final time.

Serving for the match, Gauff left a forehand drop shot in the net, giving Muchova new life. Muchova capitalized, winning the final three points to complete one of the most dramatic victories of her career.

"It was a rollercoaster," Muchova said afterward. With a smile, she added that had Gauff's drop shot cleared the net, she believed she would've tracked it down and kept the point alive.

"One point I felt good, I hit a nice winner, and then I did like a terrible mistake," she said of the tiebreak. "In my head was just like I have to keep hitting. I was telling myself if I'm going to lose this, I want to lose on my own terms. My terms is going forward, playing aggressive, going to the net.

"Even though Coco, she is incredible athlete and she always gives you that one point back, I would say, so even though I knew when I hit a volley that she is still going to be there and hit few unreal passing shots throughout the whole match, but it's kind of my game. I just wanted to stick to it."

It marked the first time that Muchova won a match after facing match point since the 2023 Roland Garros semifinals against Aryna Sabalenka -- and the first time Gauff lost from match point up in her professional career.

"At the end of the day, that's the choice I made," Gauff said in her post-match press conference. "Was it the right one in that moment? Maybe not. But then also, if I make it, everyone's going to say how clutch of a shot that was. I think that's just tennis. You lose some points off margins. Honestly, the return came back like in a tricky place for me. The bounce kind of caught me off guard. I just panicked a little bit. I think it just takes moments like this to learn from, have more of a clear, concise plan of what I want to do.

"At the end of the day, I left it all out there. My only regret -- or I don't have any regrets. I think it's just obviously points I want to make better decisions on. But that's how you learn and become a better player."

Muchova and Noskova have played once previously -- a three-set win for Muchova in the third round of the US Open last year.