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NEW YORK — Karolina Muchova had already blown her title shot when she emerged as an early contender for the best performance yet at the US Open.
Muchova’s 6-3, 7-6(5) victory over Naomi Osaka on Thursday night was a masterclass in variety and shotmaking. In one service game of the second set, Muchova held on thanks to two volley winners, an ace and a devilish slice that a distraught Osaka could only smash into the net.
Osaka was not at her best, but she came back in the second set and briefly threatened to overpower her opponent. As a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium showed, she remains one of tennis’ biggest draws despite her wildcard status. A similarly packed Louis Armstrong Stadium saw her defeat World No. 10 Jelena Ostapenko on Tuesday, and at the French Open in late spring, her meeting with World No. 1 and eventual champion Iga Swiatek made for a dismal first week.
There was still disappointment. Osaka said her “heart dies” if she loses, and her team had pegged the U.S. hard-court swing as the moment her return to tennis would explode.
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On Saturday, Muchova stormed into the last 16, beating Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 6-2, in another display of textured tennis. And on Monday, she faced the women’s story of the year, Italy’s Jasmine Paolini. Paolini had reached two consecutive Grand Slam finals and played a confident, smiling style of tennis that leaned on her frame rather than trying to play around it.
Muchova defeated her 6-3, 6-3, and flowed back onto the court. After having one contender for the tournament’s best performance, she now has one. And despite their contrasting fortunes in New York this year, the return of Muchova and Osaka is a huge victory for women’s tennis. Especially if they can stay fit.
Both players are on the road to comebacks this year, with Muchova finally ending a nine-month absence after undergoing surgery on a serious wrist injury, and Osaka returning to the tour earlier this year after announcing her pregnancy 19 months ago. With the WTA Tour in an interesting phase as Swiatek dominates Roland Garros, Aryna Sabalenka does the same in Melbourne, and the other two Grand Slams remain more open, the top of women’s tennis welcomes two more contenders.
Muchova is a quarterfinalist or better at all four Grand Slams, but her ridiculously high ceiling has been lowered by horrific injuries.
The current world number 52, a 28-year-old from the Czech Republic, is a tennis player. Seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin told The Athletics in June that Muchova is one of her favorite players to watch because of her diversity and imagination. Osaka expressed similar sentiments after seeing it up close on Thursday.
Karolina Muchova’s deft touch is a hallmark of her tennis (Robert Prange/Getty Images)
“She’s very athletic. She has a lot of variety,” Osaka said. “I like watching her play and also playing her, even though sometimes it doesn’t go the way I want it to.”
While dissecting her own game, Muchova said The Athletics In a pre-Wimbledon interview, “It’s who I am and how I like to play, what fills me on the court. It’s just me. I wouldn’t want to play any other way — even if it’s too much sometimes. I’m enjoying it and I’ve talked to my team and we’re trying to improve these things and I’ll try to continue like this.”
On Thursday, she said she just enjoys playing this way. “It’s fun,” she said.
For those unfamiliar with Muchova’s game, Thursday night provided a crash course. She stormed to the net and volleyed far more often and efficiently than the vast majority of players on tour. Muchova finished the match having won 13 of 19 (68 percent) points at the net, serving and volleying in key moments. She was also successful from the baseline, capturing the match’s first break in the seventh game with a feathered drop shot, and closing out the set with two thunderous forehand return winners when Osaka was next serving.
The second-round match between Muchova and Osaka provided tension at the US Open after a sleepy start (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
In the second set, Muchova hit some incredible last-minute volley winners and went all out when Osaka served to take the match into a deciding set. When it came to the tiebreak, her relentless pulls and use of a slice to disrupt Osaka’s rhythm led to a terrible error on match point that ended the match.
Now in the last 16, Muchova has come from a place no tennis player wants to go. After surgery in February on the part of the body that tennis players most fear being damaged, Muchova worried she might not be able to play the sport anymore. At first, she couldn’t get out of bed or brush her teeth, but gradually her strength returned and her mood improved. Regular concerts in her native Czech Republic helped, with seeing English rock band Nothing But Thieves a highlight.
She returned to the tour in Eastbourne, the British grass-court resort, but withdrew after two matches to protect her wrist. She then lost in the first round of Wimbledon to Paula Badosa in straight sets. Badosa, another player who has been hit hard by injuries, said her best advice to Muchova was to “be patient”.
“Maybe I would say something different to another player, but she is so talented. Her level will come back.”
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That much has been proven. Less than two months later, Muchova has knocked out a two-time US Open champion in thrilling fashion, and then a two-time Grand Slam finalist. She advances to the quarterfinals to face either Caroline Wozniacki or Beatriz Haddad Maia, neither of whom is looking forward to Muchova’s victory at the net.
As an unseeded player, the Czech will be a dangerous factor in the draw for the tournament even before she improves her ranking (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
For Osaka, as she memorably puts it, the results have not resulted in her comeback. Flashes of her top level, however, are a testament to what Badosa told Muchova about patience and the need for time and match repetitions to raise the floor to the incredible ceiling. “She is a great player and I am very happy to see her back,” Muchova said after her victory.
The challenge now for both players is to put together a series of good performances and improve their rankings (from No. 52 for Muchova and No. 88 for Osaka) so that they don’t face each other so early in tournaments. Osaka has not advanced beyond the quarterfinals of an event since her comeback on New Year’s Eve, while Muchova, just a few WTA matches into her return, has always been able to compete against elite players without it translating into titles. According to Opta, of the nine active WTA players who have defeated five former world No. 1s at Grand Slams, Muchova is the only one who has not won a major or Masters 1000 title.
Whether Muchova, or Osaka, wins major tournaments soon is not so much the issue. The fact that they are on the tour at all is a victory for tennis, because the sport benefits so much when they do.
(Top photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
