'I was shaking!' Muchova edges Osaka on ninth match point in Beijing thriller

No. 7 seed Karolina Muchova came through a spectacular fourth-round tilt at the China Open on Tuesday, denying No. 12 seed Naomi Osaka from a break down in both the first and third sets and eventually sealing her ninth match point to advance 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(7) in 2 hours and 52 minutes.

Muchova, who trailed 4-1 in the opener and 3-1 in the decider, held triple-match point at 5-4 in the third set on Osaka's serve -- but was unable to take a total of five opportunities to seal victory in that game. In the ensuing tiebreak, the Czech player missed another three match points, but converted the ninth in style with a delicate backhand volley winner.

"I honestly didn't even believe I will finish the match," Muchova said in her on-court interview. "So many match points, I didn't know how many. After a match point I was like, 'OK, I'm going for it,' but then I think she always played great and steady, and didn't make mistakes -- unlike me, unfortunately! I was shaking. I'm happy that I made the last volley and it was really so close. Naomi could be standing here. It's me, and I'm really grateful for it."

In the eighth edition of the pair's six-year rivalry, Muchova backed up two grass-court victories this year to improve to 5-3 overall against Osaka -- though she still trails 3-2 on outdoor hard courts. She booked her place in her fourth quarterfinal at WTA 1000 level or above this season, following her Doha title, Wimbledon final run and Miami semifinal showing. 

Here are the key takeaways from Muchova's win:

Her backhand nearly lost her the match ... but ultimately won it for her

In previous seasons, Muchova's drive backhand has been an area of vulnerability for her -- both more prone to breaking down and less lethal than her forehand wing. She's levelled up on that side in 2026, one of the reasons this has been the most consistent of her career to date.

But as she tried to close Osaka out, it nearly let her down again. She squandered three of the five match points she held at 5-4 with backhand unforced errors -- Osaka saved the other two with an ace and a service winner. Another backhand sprayed wide enabled Osaka to hold that game, and another dumped in the net wasted her seventh match point. (Match points six and eight were lost on forehand unforced errors.)

No wonder that, at 7-7 in the tiebreak, Osaka began targeting that wing exclusively -- and nor did the 2019 champion hold back as she pummelled it at full force. Muchova managed to withstand all the pace, though -- and then find the space she needed to redirect it for a winner down the line to bring up her ninth and final match point.

"I think I was solid from the backhand side today," Muchova said. "I feel like all the players are hitting to my backhand side. But I'd say it was a shot that won the match for me today."

Muchova remains perfect in third-set tiebreaks this year

The result extended Muchova's record in third-set tiebreaks this year to a perfect 3-0 -- she also edged Ajla Tomljanovic 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) in the Brisbane second round, her first match of the season, and then saved a match point to deny Coco Gauff 6-2, 1-6, 7-6[10] in the Wimbledon semifinals.

The only other player with a 3-0 record in deciding tiebreaks this year is Rabat champion Petra Marcinko (who won her trio against Camila Osorio in Auckland, Yelyzaveta Kotliar in Rabat and Antonia Ruzic in Eastbourne). No player has won more than three deciding tiebreaks at tour level this year; Anna Kalinskaya has also won three, but has lost two as well.

Muchova's strong third-set tiebreak performance isn't new -- the 30-year-old owns an 8-3 career record in them at tour level, dating back to 2019. She hasn't lost a third-set tiebreak since the second round of the 2023 Australian Open, when she fell 6-7(1), 6-2, 7-6[6] to Danielle Collins.

That's a contrast to Osaka's 2-6 career record in deciding tiebreaks. The four-time major champion has not won one since the 2019 Stuttgart quarterfinals, when she edged Donna Vekic 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4).

In this one, Muchova acknowledged that she "got a bit lucky" -- at 6-6, Osaka hammered a forehand return crosscourt as she sought to reach match point for the first time. Muchova only just got her racquet on the ball in response -- and her forehand dribbled over the net cord for a fortuitous steal.

Muchova faces a crafty Czech in her own mold next

Next up for Muchova is an all-Czech derby against No. 26 seed Nikola Bartunkova, who backed up her third-round upset of Aryna Sabalenka with a 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 defeat of Sinja Kraus to make her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal. It'll be the first time the pair have played each other, and an intriguing matchup. The 20-year-old Bartunkova's potent blend of power and finesse has drawn plenty of comparisons with Muchova as she's risen from No. 126 at the start of the year to her current career high of No. 34.

Muchova has been aware of Bartunkova's talent for a while longer. They both train at the same club in Prague, and are frequent practise partners on tour.

"I'm not surprised it could be a Czech match," she said. "It's on every tournament, in all the rounds you can play a Czech player. It's not really surprising anymore, I would say ... I never played Niki. She is a crafty player."